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'WE DON'T HAVE LONG'

Elon Musk pens open letter to United Nations to ban ‘killer robots’ that could wipe out innocents in ‘third revolution of warfare’

BILLIONAIRE Elon Musk is leading calls for a global ban on "killer robots" that could spark a "third revolution in warfare".

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX joined more than 100 robotics and artificial intelligence entrepreneurs in signing a letter to the United Nations calling to prevent the development of autonomous "weapons of terror" which could target innocent people.

 Military analysts reckon robots like the Series T-800 from Terminator Genisys could be active on a battlefield sooner than you might think
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Military analysts reckon robots like the Series T-800 from Terminator Genisys could be active on a battlefield sooner than you might thinkCredit: Paramount

A statement signed by 116 tech luminaries, including Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of Google's DeepMind, read: "Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare."

"Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought on a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend."

The tech gurus highlighted the danger that the technology could pose if it were to fall into the wrong hands.

"These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways," the letter read.

"We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora's box is opened, it will be hard to close."

 Elon Musk founded SpaceX as well as PayPal and Tesla Motors
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Elon Musk founded SpaceX as well as PayPal and Tesla MotorsCredit: Rex Features

It is not the first time Musk has warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence.

British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has also repeatedly revealed nightmarish scenarios about an imminent robotic apocalypse.

Bloodshed is not the only outcome to be feared.


TOMORROW'S WORLD What life will be like in 2040 - from self-driving cars to robot lovers and eating artificial meat 


Experts reckon robots will totally warp society, with oone-thirdof jobs now under threat, including transport, factory and shop jobs.

The renewed plea on autonomous weapons was released as the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne got underway Monday, with a record 2,000 of the world's top AI and robotics experts taking part, organisers said.

One expert said autonomous weapons could make war more likely.

An open letter to the United Nations convention on certain conventional weapons

The letter addressed to the UN and signed by Elon Musk and 116 other tech gurus reads as follows:

"As companies building the technologies in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics that may be repurposed to develop autonomous weapons, we feel especially responsible for raising this alarm.

"We warmly welcome the decision of the UN’s Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) to establish a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems.

"Many of our researchers and engineers are eager to offer technical advice to your deliberations. We commend the appointment of Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill of India as chair of the GGE.

"We entreat the High Contracting Parties participating in the GGE to work hard at finding means to prevent an arms race in these weapons, to protect civilians from their misuse, and to avoid the destabilising effects of these "technologies.

"We regret that the GGE’s first meeting, which was due to start today, has been cancelled due to a small number of states failing to pay their financial contributions to the UN. We urge the High Contracting Parties, therefore, to double their efforts at the first meeting of the GGE now planned for November.

"Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare.

"Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought on a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend. These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways.

"We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora’s box is opened, it will be hard to close.

"We therefore implore the High Contracting Parties to find a way to protect us all from these dangers."

"Today the potential loss of human life is a deterrent for conflict initiation and escalation, but when the main casualties are robots, the disincentives change dramatically and the likelihood of conflict increases," Professor Mary-Anne Williams of the University of Technology Sydney.

She warned a killer robot ban may be disregarded by some nations but would stop "countries such as Australia from developing defensive killer robots, thereby being vulnerable to other countries and groups that ignore the ban"

Another expert said decision made today would help shape the "futures we want".

"Nearly every technology can be used for good and bad, and artificial intelligence is no different," said Professor Toby Walsh of the University of New South Wales.

Organisers said the conference, which concludes on Friday, has attracted a record number of participants from China, reflecting a push by Beijing to become a leading player in the field.

A cutting edge drone is displayed at the MAKS-2017 air show in Moscow
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A military drone is displayed at the MAKS-2017 air show in Moscow, RussiaCredit: EPA

A key focus of the event will be looking at the challenges of developing fully autonomous AI systems, programme chair Carles Sierra of the Spanish National Research Council said.

A UN group on autonomous weapons had been due to meet Monday but the gathering was postponed until November, according to the group's website.

In 2015, thousands of researchers and personalities launched an appeal to ban autonomous weapons.

In a bizarre case of "make love, not war" some are turning to holy matrimony with sex robots that they claim to regularly bed.



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