The militarization of artificial intelligence should be bound by international conventions

Source：Updated：2017-09-08 08:50:41

American entrepreneurs musk recently 26 countries, 116 scientists and entrepreneurs, published an open letter to the UN, called for prohibited weapons development and use of artificial intelligence, and the case for strict supervision. Mentioned in the letter, the development of artificial intelligence weapon, will bring human third war on military revolution, lead to armed conflict into the unprecedented scale, and on the evolution speed beyond human understanding and control. 
 
The so-called artificial intelligence weapon, which refers to the system of lethal autonomous weapons, belongs to the war robots that appear in many science fiction movies. The fundamental difference between it and conventional weapons is that it does not require human direct supervision and decision-making, which can automatically lock targets and use potential force for a fatal blow. The beneficial side of the ai weapon is obvious: putting it on the battlefield will reduce costs and protect the lives of military personnel. 
 
But the downside of artificial intelligence is also dire: a simple procedure that would convert it into a terrorist machine that would kill civilians, far more damaging than conventional weapons. Arms is a profiteering industry. Based on artificial intelligence technology, autonomous weapons will bring qualitative changes to the killing property, which will surely induce the arms industry to take risks. 
 
There is no artificial intelligence weapon in the world. Human supervision and decision-making are still indispensable in the use of weapons. Has played a very high value of military applications such as in the battlefield of remote armed drones, though highly automated, integrated control, positioning, image processing, such as a variety of cutting-edge technology, also need to be equipped with professional technical personnel to operate. But with the explosive development of artificial intelligence technology, technical problems will no longer be a barrier to developing artificial intelligence weapons, and American thor and other companies may have mastered or are developing related technologies. 
 
War is a political and diplomatic means of extreme violence, a violation of human desire of peaceful development, but in the current human civilization development stage, the root causes of war still exists, therefore the development of the military is an essential part of a sovereign state. The development of the weapons, is a process of spear and shield alternating evolution, in the manufacture of spears at the same time, want to consider the consequences of it may be used to, to have a shield to respond, such as on the anti-missile missile technology and so on. 
 
If not technically to limit of some lethal weapons, governed by rules convention requires war, protect illegal combatants and civilians from unnecessary damage, reduce the cruelty of war. To date, the international community has concluded several treaties on the use of arms: the Geneva protocol of 1925 prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons in war; The treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, signed in 1968 by 59 countries, limits the use of nuclear weapons; The 1972 convention on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological (biological) and toxin weapons and the destruction of such weapons has restricted the use of bacteria-toxin weapons; The 1980 convention on prohibiting or restricting the use of certain conventional weapons which can be deemed to be excessively injuriable or to indiscriminately limit potential weapons of mass destruction; Similarly, in response to ai weapons, the us defence department issued directives in 2012 to allow the semi-autonomous weapon system to use force, but to limit its autonomy. That means the U.S. government does not object to the intellectualization of weapons, but to ensure that all weapons are under human control. 
 
Any weapon is potentially dangerous, even a dagger. The key is to see whose hands it is to preserve peace, or to kill people. The threat to the world, such as nuclear weapons, would be devastating. Only during the cold war, the nuclear bombs of the United States and the Soviet union would be enough to destroy the earth several times. But in the original strength weak foundation of China, it is because the atomic bomb test is successful, greatly enhance the defense capabilities, improved the voice in the structure of the world, made a huge contribution to world peace. 
 
The world is not tranquil. Peace needs protection. China should develop the application of artificial intelligence technology in the military field under the precondition of ensuring safety and abiding by international conventions, so as to enhance China's combat power, which is also in line with the goal of our armed forces. The stronger the fight for justice, the greater the contribution to world peace.