At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, a group of experts warned the power brokers in attendance that more needs to be done to monitor the creation and use of autonomous weapons.
The panel of scientists and weapons experts expressed concern that little is being done to discuss the potential ramifications of unleashing such 'killer robots' onto the battlefield and beyond.
The experts stressed that, unlike drones, these troublesome weapons would be run via artificial intelligence and, once activated, no longer be under the control of humans.
The sentiment of the Davos presentation echoed an earlier call to action this past summer from a group of scientists who suggested a ban on weapons that had no human override.
Specific issues about autonomous weapons raised at Davos included skepticism that killer robots could differentiate between different combat scenario and absolving humans of moral responsibility if they turn battle decisions over to computers.
Of course, the potential for these literally 'out of control' weapons to run amok was also a major concern.
Whether this latest high profile warning will effect what appears to be an inexorable march towards autonomous weapons remains to be seen.
Some of the experts hoped to see 'killer robots' relegated to the same taboo offensive tactic as biological weapons. One presenter, however, lamented to the audience that it may simply be too late.
Source: Phys.Org