79302 Killer Robots: The Ethics, Law, and Politics of Lanthal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Units: 6.0
Instructors: Aronson
Schedule: MW 1:25-2:45PM BH 235A
Description:
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former title 79-302, Drone Warfare and Killer Robots: Ethics, Law, Politics, and Strategy, may not enroll.] Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) have become a central feature of the United States' global counterterrorism strategy since September 11, 2001, and autonomous weapons systems (often called "killer robots" by critics) are increasingly being integrated into military arsenals around the world. According to proponents, drones and autonomous weapons systems are much safer than manned systems, so accurate that they can be used to target individuals and detect threats in real time, and efficient and inexpensive enough to be used for long-term surveillance and protection missions around the globe. According to critics, the use of such systems is problematic because of the obfuscation of historically accepted chains of accountability and responsibility, and the difficulty of translating complex ethical decision making processes into computer code. This course will evaluate these issues through the lenses of law, politics, morality, history, and military strategy. Mini Course/6 units.