“Published on 21 Nov 2013 –

This video is of the inaugural debate in the TechDebates on Emerging Technologies series, which focused on Lethal Autonomous “Killer” Robots. LARs are machines that can decide to kill. Such technology has the potential to revolutionize modern warfare and more. The need for understanding LARs is essential to decide whether their development and possible deployment should be regulated or banned. This TechDebate centers on the question: are LARs ethical?

Debaters:
Ron Arkin, Robotics Professor at Georgia Tech’s College of Computing
Rob Sparrow, Philosophy Professor at Monash University School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies Professor, Australia

The TechDebates on Emerging Technologies is a debate series presented by the Center for Ethics and Technology (CET) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Please visit http://www.ethics.gatech.edu to learn more about CET and its initiatives. CET invites you to participate in public deliberation on the ethics of LARs in the AGORA-net, a web-based and interactive argument visualization software. You can access the AGORA-net at http://www.agora.gatech.edu“.