Megalith
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- Aug 20, 2006
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The US Army is clarifying its “ATLAS” (Advanced Targeting and Lethality Automated System) program after initial reporting of its ground combat vehicles sparked fears of autonomous machines that would kill without human interaction. Back in 2007, the agency toyed with small, machine-gun tank robots called SWORDS but was forced to end the program after the robot “began to behave unpredictably, moving its gun chaotically.”
The response seems to have spooked the Army, which is now changing its request for information to better emphasize that the program will follow Defense Department policy on human control of lethal robots. They are also drafting talking points to further the new emphasis. The robot’s ability to identify, target, and engage doesn’t mean “we’re putting the machine in a position to kill anybody,” one Army official told Defense One.
The response seems to have spooked the Army, which is now changing its request for information to better emphasize that the program will follow Defense Department policy on human control of lethal robots. They are also drafting talking points to further the new emphasis. The robot’s ability to identify, target, and engage doesn’t mean “we’re putting the machine in a position to kill anybody,” one Army official told Defense One.