Honestly, I’d much rather prefer a world in which we don’t have to worry about fighting wars because it’s a peaceful and happy one. One of the worst things that can happen to any society is to be plagued by war, because it’s devastating. It destroys on a major level, more than any pandemic or natural occurrence can bring.
When an earthquake happens, even though there is loss of life in the thousands and billions worth of property is gone, society can bounce back within a few days. What about when there are wildfires that are so destructive, society somehow bounces back? Even during the pandemic that nearly crippled the world, we still found a way to survive through it all. But with war, you don’t, because the main focus will be staying alive.
This is why I would never be in support of any endeavor that promotes war, because it’s just one of the most senseless acts in the world. It’s always about greed, wanting what isn’t yours, and thus, forcing people into battles they’d rather not fight. That’s just how crazy it is. But then, it is what it is, as long as greed exists, people will always want what other people have, and because they feel that they can, they’d simply take it. And no one likes having their stuff taken, so they get to defend themselves, rightly so. And thus kicks off wars.
So now, what if human soldiers didn’t have to go to the frontlines anymore? Well, this is something that already happens, but with drones. While the pilots man them from remote locations, these drones can travel around the world and take out specific targets without any soldiers touching down on the soil. The sad thing is that even with the drones being manned by humans who are flesh and blood, and who still have emotions and minds of their own, mistakes still happen.
Sometimes, bombs are dropped on the wrong targets, and other times, strays hit passersby and bring about collateral damage. So, while the soldiers themselves might not be at risk, people are still very much at risk. Random civilians and everyday citizens who pay taxes and follow the rule of law to the letter are the ones who suffer the most for such mistakes and errors.
So what, will robots and AI fare any better? Honestly, I really doubt that. AI learns from humans, and it’s basically a system of logic gates. “When you see THIS and THIS, you produce THAT”. When this set of data tallies with this set of data, you take this set of actions. That’s basically how it works, it’s always based on commands and prompts that have been put in by humans.
The thing is that, without these commands, the AI won’t know who to target. And since the humans could input a specific type of target for the AI to look out for, what happens when an innocent civilian falls into that category? Maybe by looks, or simply a case of being in a bad place and at a bad time. That human trait that causes you to give potential targets the benefit of the doubt will be gone.
And then, even worse, just as I mentioned before, it might save the lives of the soldiers, and in a full-blown war, that is paramount. But wars are never just about soldiers shooting each other. They also go for infrastructure, assets, and the civilian populace. And that will be the targets of the AI. They will be the ones going after the people. How do you fight against software as an ordinary civilian?
At this point, I don’t even know if I can support or condemn this. Because we need the soldiers to be alive just as we need the people to be. I’d just say that this will only herald dark times, and it’s not something I’m looking forward to experiencing.
