Ron Arkin: Lethal autonomous robots and the plight of the non-combatant

Roboticist and robot ethics expert Ron Arkin explains what the rise of lethal autonomous systems will mean for the way wars are fought.

Initial discussions in the UN in recent years have focused on the need to retain some form of human control, as well as considering the potential risks and benefits. Ron Arkin has worked extensively on the military applications of robots. In his work, he investigates exactly how scientists can reduce human inhumanity to others. 

Listen to Ron in his talk at UNSW Sydney where he scrutinises the big ethical questions; Should robots be soldiers? Can they make war safer for civilians?

This podcast was recorded live for the UNSW Centre for Ideas and the Grand Challenge on Living with 21st Century Technology. 

About Ron Arkin

Ronald C Arkin is a world-leading researcher in robotics and robot ethics. He is Regents' Professor and the Director of the Mobile Robot Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr Arkin is currently a visiting Fellow/Scientist at QUT and the CSIRO Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group, Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies. He has published extensively on different topics in robotics and his research interests also include human-robot interaction, robot ethics, and learning in autonomous systems. His books include Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots and he is the Series Editor for the MIT Press book series Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents. For many years has been a distinguished contributor to professional bodies in robotics, robot ethics and the social implications of technology.