Tag Archives: autonomous weapons

artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Threatens Human Extinction

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While researching my new book, War At The Speed Of Light, I surfaced some important questions regarding the threat artificial intelligence poses to humanity. For example, Will your grandchildren face extinction? Even worse, will they become robotic slaves to a supercomputer?

Humanity is facing its greatest challenge, artificial intelligence (AI). Recent experiments suggest that even primitive artificially intelligent machines can learn deceit, greed, and self-preservation without being programmed to do so. There is alarming evidence that artificial intelligence, without legislation to police its development, will displace humans as the dominant species by the end of the twenty-first century.

There is no doubt that AI is the new scientific frontier, and it is making its way into many aspects of our lives. Our world includes “smart” machines with varying degrees of AI, including touch-screen computers, smartphones, self-parking cars, smart bombs, heart pacemakers, and brain implants to treat Parkinson’s disease. In essence, AI is changing the cultural landscape, and we are embracing it at an unprecedented rate. Currently, humanity is largely unaware of the potential dangers that strong artificially intelligent machines pose. In this context, the word “strong” signifies AI greater than human intelligence.

Most of humanity perceives only the positive aspects of AI technology. This includes robotic factories, like Tesla Motors, which manufactures electric cars that are ecofriendly, and the da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic platform designed to expand the surgeon’s capabilities and offer a state-of-the-art minimally invasive option for major surgery. These are only two of many examples of how AI is positively affecting our lives. However, there is a dark side. For example, Gartner Inc., a technology research group, forecasts robots and drones will replace a third of all workers by 2025. Could AI create an unemployment crisis?  As AI permeates the medical field, the average human life span will increase. Eventually, strong artificially intelligent humans (SAHs), with AI brain implants to enhance their intelligence and cybernetic organs, will become immortal. Will this exacerbate the worldwide population crisis already surfaced as a concern by the United Nations? By 2045, some AI futurists predict that a single strong artificially intelligent machine (SAM) will exceed the cognitive intelligence of the entire human race. How will SAMs view us? Objectively, humanity is an unpredictable species. We engage in wars, develop weapons capable of destroying the world and maliciously release computer viruses. Will SAMs view us as a threat? Will we maintain control of strong AI, or will we fall victim to our own invention?

I recognize that this post raises more questions than answers. However, I thought it important to share these questions with you. In my new book, War At The Speed Of Light, I devote an entire chapter to autonomous directed energy weapons. I surface these questions, Will autonomous weapons replace human judgment and result in unintended devastating conflicts? Will they ignite World War III? I also provide recommendations to avoid these unintended conflicts. For more insight, browse the book on Amazon

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Book Signing Event – January 26, 2019 – Greater Minneapolis Area

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Announcement

Do you want to familiarize yourself with a topical and controversial subject, namely, the new arms race for autonomous weapons? Consider joining me at my January 26, 2019 (Saturday), book signing event at Barnes & Noble in the Ridgehaven Mall in Minnetonka starting at 2:00 pm. I will be discussing my recently released new book, Genius Weapons: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Weaponry, and the Future of Warfare (Prometheus, November 2018). I will be happy to address any questions on the subject. If you already have the book, please bring it with you and I will inscribe it. For more information on the event click https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061991833-0. To browse the book click https://amzn.to/2RPPs9G. Feel free to contact me directly for interviews 952-261-4532 or ldelmonte@delmonteagency.com.

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Introduction of Genius Weapons (excerpt)

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What is the driving force behind autonomous weapons? There are two forces driving these weapons:

  1. Technology: AI technology, which provides the intelligence of autonomous weapon systems (AWS), is advancing exponentially. Experts in AI predict autonomous weapons, which would select and engage targets without human intervention, will debut within years, not decades. Indeed, a limited number of autonomous weapons already exist. For now, they are the exception. In the future, they will dominate conflict.
  2. Humanity: In 2016, the World Economic Forum Matters (WFM) attendees were asked, “If your country was suddenly at war, would you rather be defended by the sons and daughters of your community, or an autonomous A.I. weapons system?” The majority, 55%, responded they would prefer artificially intelligent (AI) soldiers. This result suggests a worldwide desire to have robots, sometimes referred to as “killer robots,” fight wars rather than risking human lives.

The use of AI technology in warfare is not new. The first large-scale use of “smart bombs” by the United States during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 made it apparent that AI had the potential to change the nature of war. The word “smart” in this context means “artificially intelligent.” The world watched in awe as the United States demonstrated the surgical precision of smart bombs, which neutralized military targets and minimized collateral damage. In general, using autonomous weapon systems in conflict offers highly attractive advantages:

  • Economic: Reducing costs and personnel
  • Operational: Increasing the speed of decision-making, reducing dependence on communications, reducing human errors
  • Security: Replacing or assisting humans in harm’s way
  • Humanitarian: Programming killer robots to respect the international humanitarian laws of war better than humans

Even with these advantages, there are significant downsides. For example, when warfare becomes just a matter of technology, will it make engaging in war more attractive? No commanding officer has to write a letter to the mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, of a drone lost in battle. Politically, it is more palatable to report equipment losses than human causalities. In addition, a country with superior killer robots has both a military advantage and a psychological advantage. To understand this, let us examine the second question posed to attendees of 2016 World Economic Forum Matters7: “If your country was suddenly at war, would you rather be invaded by the sons and daughters of your enemy, or an autonomous A.I. weapon system?” A significant majority, 66%, responded a preference for human soldiers.

In May 2014, a Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems was held at the United Nations in Geneva8 to discuss the ethical dilemmas such weapons systems pose, such as:

  • Can sophisticated computers replicate the human intuitive moral decision-making capacity?
  • Is human intuitive moral perceptiveness ethically desirable? If the answer is yes, then the legitimate exercise of deadly force should always require human control.
  • Who is responsible for the actions of a lethal autonomous weapons system? If the machine is following a programmed algorithm, is the programmer responsible? If the machine is able to learn and adapt, is the machine responsible? Is the operator or country that deploys LAWS (i.e., lethal autonomous weapon systems) responsible?

In general, there is a worldwide growing concern with regard to taking humans “out of the loop” in the use of legitimate lethal force.

This is an excerpt from my new book, Genius Weapons, now on sale on Amazon. Give yourself and others the gift of knowledge.

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Press Release: New Books Reveals Arms Race for Genius Weapons and Their Threat to Humanity

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Amherst, NY (November 6, 2018) – The first book in its genre, Genius Weapons: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Weaponry, and the Future of Warfare (Prometheus Books, November 6, 2018) by Louis A. Del Monte, delineates the new arms race between the United States, China, and Russia to develop genius weapons, weapons whose artificial intelligence greatly exceeds human intelligence and the destructive force of nuclear weapons.

Artificial intelligence is playing an ever-increasing role in military weapon systems. The Pentagon is now in a race with China and Russia to develop “lethal autonomous weapon systems” (LAWS). In this eye-opening overview, a physicist, technology expert, and former Honeywell executive examines the advantages and the potential threats to humanity resulting from the deployment of weapons guided by superintelligent computers (i.e., genius weapons). Stressing the likelihood that these weapons will be available in the coming decades since no treaty regulates their development and deployment, the author examines the future of warfare and the potential for genius weapons to initiate a war that threatens the extinction of humanity.

“A highly readable and deeply researched exploration of one of the most chilling aspects of the development of artificial intelligence: the creation of intelligent, autonomous killing machines. In Louis A. Del Monte’s view, the multibillion dollar arms industry and longstanding rivalries among nations make the creation of autonomous weapons extremely likely,” said James Barrat, author of Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era.

In his insightful and prescient account of genius weapons, Del Monte uses vivid scenarios that immerse the reader in the ethical dilemmas and existential threats posed by these weapons. Based on hard science and political realities, the book warns that the dystopian visions of such movies as The Terminator and I, Robot may become a frightening reality in the future. The author concludes with concrete recommendations, founded in historical precedent, to control this new arms race.

 Mr. Del Monte is available for interviews. You may contact him by phone at (952) 261-4532, or by email at ldelmonte@delmonteagency.com.

Louis A. Del Monte is an award-winning physicist, author, inventor, futurist, featured speaker, and CEO of Del Monte and Associates, Inc. For over thirty years, he was a leader in the development of microelectronics and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for IBM and Honeywell. As a Honeywell Executive Director from 1982 to 2001, he led hundreds of physicists, engineers, and technology professionals engaged in integrated circuit and sensor technology development for both Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial applications. He is literally a man whose career has changed the way we work, play, and make war. Del Monte is the recipient of the H.W. Sweatt Award for scientific engineering achievement and the Lund Award for management excellence. He is the author of international bestsellers like Nanoweapons and The Artificial Intelligence Revolution. He has been quoted or has published articles in the Huffington Post, the Atlantic, Business Insider, American Security Today, Inc., and on CNBC. He has appeared on the History Channel.

Amherst, NY (November 6, 2018) – The first book in its genre, Genius Weapons: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Weaponry, and the Future of Warfare (Prometheus Books, November 6, 2018) by Louis A. Del Monte, delineates the new arms race between the United States, China, and Russia to develop genius weapons, weapons whose artificial intelligence greatly exceeds human intelligence and the destructive force of nuclear weapons.

Artificial intelligence is playing an ever-increasing role in military weapon systems. The Pentagon is now in a race with China and Russia to develop “lethal autonomous weapon systems” (LAWS). In this eye-opening overview, a physicist, technology expert, and former Honeywell executive examines the advantages and the potential threats to humanity resulting from the deployment of weapons guided by superintelligent computers (i.e., genius weapons). Stressing the likelihood that these weapons will be available in the coming decades since no treaty regulates their development and deployment, the author examines the future of warfare and the potential for genius weapons to initiate a war that threatens the extinction of humanity.

“A highly readable and deeply researched exploration of one of the most chilling aspects of the development of artificial intelligence: the creation of intelligent, autonomous killing machines. In Louis A. Del Monte’s view, the multibillion dollar arms industry and longstanding rivalries among nations make the creation of autonomous weapons extremely likely,” said James Barrat, author of Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era.

In his insightful and prescient account of genius weapons, Del Monte uses vivid scenarios that immerse the reader in the ethical dilemmas and existential threats posed by these weapons. Based on hard science and political realities, the book warns that the dystopian visions of such movies as The Terminator and I, Robot may become a frightening reality in the future. The author concludes with concrete recommendations, founded in historical precedent, to control this new arms race.

Mr. Del Monte is available for interviews. You may contact him by phone at (952) 261-4532, or by email at ldelmonte@delmonteagency.com.

Louis A. Del Monte is an award-winning physicist, author, inventor, futurist, featured speaker, and CEO of Del Monte and Associates, Inc. For over thirty years, he was a leader in the development of microelectronics and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for IBM and Honeywell. As a Honeywell Executive Director from 1982 to 2001, he led hundreds of physicists, engineers, and technology professionals engaged in integrated circuit and sensor technology development for both Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial applications. He is literally a man whose career has changed the way we work, play, and make war. Del Monte is the recipient of the H.W. Sweatt Award for scientific engineering achievement and the Lund Award for management excellence. He is the author of international bestsellers like Nanoweapons and The Artificial Intelligence Revolution. He has been quoted or has published articles in the Huffington Post, the Atlantic, Business Insider, American Security Today, Inc., and on CNBC. He has appeared on the History Channel.