« Attack of the killer comments. |
Main
| Its not often the Crusades hit the news »
March 16, 2006
Geeks, Asimov and Number 5
Occassionally, I read trashy and sensationalised websites. An older story on The Register was found via a recent Slashdot report. No, I don't know why I go there either. Its a strange compulsion.
"The US Army is deploying armed robots in Iraq that are capable of breaking Asmov's first law that they should not harm a human. SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems) robots are equipped with either the M249, machine gun which fires 5.56-millimeter rounds at 750 rounds per minute or the M240, which fires 7.62-millimeter rounds at up to 1,000 per minute. "
My favourite comment:
Statement from the Iraqi forces regarding the use of these 'robots':
OMFG! u r fukn gay! u hack, i know it! fucking aimbot! tak ur aimbot bs to nothr country, asshats!
Well, I bet Dr Asimov is just spinning in his grave, though mainly at the spelling of his name there. There are a few points to be made:
It's not an autonomous robot. Its a waldo. A remotely controlled vehicle with a gun strapped on. A human gets to decide when to pull the trigger, rather like the predator drones.
Asimov's three laws crept into pop culture from fiction, much like kryptonite or the "Necronomicon" (HPL or "klatu, verada, necktie?" varieties). Some people actually believe these things exist.
Positronic brains aren't around. If you're going to build something with everyday ICs, you're going to have to wing it, as AI massively ahead of todays would be needed to assess situations vs these laws.
If you read the books and came away with the idea that the three laws were good, read the books again. 'I, Robot' contained stories that solely pointed out the flaws in the canonical rules. (Asimov mentioned that point in at least one of his Fantasy and Science Fiction editorials).
Everyone knows laws cannot stop Giant Killer Robots with Guns™, for that you need Bigger Giant Killer Robot with a Bigger Gun™
On another track, I wonder how this ties in with the army's computer game and things like Counterstrike, players of which could become the 10th Interactive Division. Respawning would be a problem, but there would finally be a use for campers.
Any chance next weeks story is about humans in the military breaking the "Thou shall not kill" commandment? Or perhaps something detailing how tariffs violate the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition?
Scrawled illegibly by Meathe at March 16, 2006 09:34 AM