The Ethics of Killer Robots - Should societies delegate life-and-death decisions to AI?

Should societies delegate life-and-death decisions to AI? Join us for an engaging lecture on the ethics of killer robots by Prof. Lechterman, a philosopher who holds the UNESCO Chair in AI Ethics & Governance at IE School of Humanities. Proponents of lethal autonomous weapons contend that programming robots to follow the laws of war could reduce human error and war crimes, while sparing human soldiers from physical risks and psychological trauma. Critics warn against delegating lethal decisions to machines, citing the inability of computers to fulfill moral obligations and the potential for increasing conflict intensity and empowering rogue actors. After viewing some of the prototypes of killer robots already in production, we explore the debates surrounding their use and regulation and discuss the moral, legal, and societal implications of autonomous weapons on the battlefield — and beyond it. The lecture forms part of Prof. Lechterman’s course on AI Ethics & Governance, offered through the Humanities track of the IE Impact program.

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Co-hosted with: IE School of Humanities

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