Strides in AI raise killer-robot fears

A humanoid robot working side by side with employees in the assembly line of a factory in Kazo, north of Tokyo.
A humanoid robot working side by side with employees in the assembly line of a factory in Kazo, north of Tokyo. PHOTO: REUTERS
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Imagine a world where killer robots, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), have the ability to decide who lives and who dies on the basis of deep learning and algorithms, without any human intervention.

This scenario has been criticised by naysayers as alarmist. But experts, including United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Tesla co-founder Elon Musk, have warned of the risk that AI can be put to nefarious use in the wrong hands.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on September 22, 2019, with the headline Strides in AI raise killer-robot fears. Subscribe