What’s wrong with drones? Automatization and target selection

Andree-Anne Melancon

Small Wars and Insurgencies, 2020, vol. 31, issue 4, 801-821

Abstract: Developments in artificial intelligence have ignited many debates on the use of autonomous weapons and ‘killer robots.’ However, before autonomous attack decisions can be explored, issues related to target selection need to be considered. Focusing the discussion on drones and artificial intelligence overshadows more fundamental issues. This paper therefore argues that the main ethical problem raised by autonomous drones do not come from the weapon system or technology itself. Instead, they stem from challenges of target identification. Thus, asking ‘what’s wrong with drones?’ is misleading as it focusses on the technology instead of the primary issue of target selection.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1080/09592318.2020.1743486

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