You know that some issues are beginning to rise up the agenda when they appear in the Telegraph. The announcement that the US government is researching autonomous robot systems with the decision making power to kill comes with a warning:
Prof Noel Sharkey fears increased research by countries including
America, Russia, China and Israel will lead to the use of battlefield
robots that can decide when to kill within 10 years.
He will
also predict that it is only a matter of time before robots become a
standard terrorist weapon, replacing suicide bombers....
Prof Sharkey, best known as a judge in the BBC television series Robot Wars, said: "There's a massive drive towards developing autonomous robots for more complex missions. We are rapidly moving towards robots that can make the decision to apply lethal force, when to apply it and who to apply it to. I think maybe we're talking about a 10-year time frame.
"If one country develops autonomous robots, it is clear that other countries will follow suit."
Let us hope that Britain's own military research in this area does not involve 'catch up'.