Comment for Defense One on Navy Autonomous Swarmboats
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2014/10/inside-navys-secret-swarm-robot-experiment/95813/
The Office of Naval Research just announced the demonstration of a highly autonomous swarm of 13 guard boats to defend a larger ship. We commented on this development for Defense One:
“Other AI experts take a more nuanced view. Building more autonomy into weaponized robotics can be dangerous, according to computer scientist and entrepreneur Steven Omohundro. But the dangers can be mitigated through proper design.
“There is a competition to develop systems which are faster, smarter and more unpredictable than an adversary’s. As this puts pressure toward more autonomous decision-making, it will be critical to ensure that these systems behave in alignment with our ethical principles. The security of these systems is also of critical importance because hackers, criminals, or enemies who take control of autonomous attack systems could wreak enormous havoc,” said Omohundro.”
Self-Aware Systems 