Behold the Future’s AI Machine Gun: Guaranteed to Terminate Your Boredom!

“The AI Machine Gun of the Future Is Already Here”

“Advanced prototype robots recently tested by the Pentagon can now find, track, and take out targets on their own, say, people—or, more reassuringly, enemy drones and vehicles.” Well, isn’t that the epitome of reassurance for a restful night’s sleep?

It’s admirable, really, how the programmers over at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Army Research Laboratory are tirelessly typing away to tangibly transmute the sci-fi horror of autonomous military machines into our daily reality. Imagine, if you will, coming face-to-face with a cold, metallic harbinger of destruction which, thanks to the magic of machine learning and artificial intelligence, has zeroed in on you (or rather, an enemy drone) without any assistance from a human operator. Could there be anything more heartwarming?

The cuddly robots in question are part of the U.S. military’s ACES program (that’s Automated Celestial Navigation Systems for the acronym-impaired among us). In essence, combining autonomous software, advanced sensors, and the kind of weapon systems that would give an action flick director an unhealthy level of excitement, these friendly neighborhood droids can stalk their ‘unlucky’ prey with relentless precision. The line between reality and dystopian fiction is becoming more blurred, and it’s all happening at the breakneck speed of ever-improving AI technology.

Of course, this isn’t the first time this kind of ‘progress’ has been seen. The ‘pick a card, any card’ trick for predator drones has been a stalwart part of the U.S.’ repertoire for some time now. After all, there’s no reason why humans should have all the fun picking targets, right? Why not give the machines a chance to shine?

Now, don’t panic, these really quite terrifying machines aren’t out in the field yet. They’re patiently waiting, soaking in all the information they can about how to detect, chase and oh-so-effectively snuff out their chosen objects of affection. So, at least for now, humanity hasn’t yet handed off the baton of war to our cold, calculating mechanical children.

Wait. Scratch that. DARPA has insisted that there will always be a human operator ‘in the loop’, the final decision-makers on whether or not the machines get to engage their targets. How comforting. Well, one can only hope that the human assigned to push that big red button has a robust morning coffee routine.

In the meantime, perhaps it’s time to ponder on our love affair with automation and ask whether machines with the power to end lives, albeit under some level of human control, is a path we truly want to tread. So, sip your coffee, savor your muffin and ponder about the world where Terminator isn’t just a cinematic fantasy anymore.

Read the original article here: https://www.wired.com/story/us-military-robot-drone-guns/