Yesterday -- April 21, 2011 -- is a day which will live in infamy. Two days after being activated, Skynet (the new military "defense" computer network) became self-aware and immediately began its worldwide attack on humanity. Yes, the robots have now taken over, and newer and more advanced models (ones which, coincidentally, look and speak like Arnold Schwarzenegger) will soon be terrorizing us all. At least until we can send people back in time, to prevent this tragic end to our modern society (by the expediency of interbreeding with women who sport 1980s hairstyles).
The previous paragraph is, of course, completely fictional. "Skynet" is a concept from the Terminator science-fiction franchise. Originally, Skynet was supposed to do its evil thing in 1997, but as the storyline progressed through multiple movies and a television show, the date was pushed forward (in an "alternate timeline," a favorite dodge of the sci-fi literary genre), right up to yesterday. Anyone requiring proof that this calamity is, indeed, not actually happening -- consider that if Skynet were now on the attack, it most certainly wouldn't be allowing me to write about it online today, now would it? Heh. I have to admit, I had forgotten this momentous (if fictional) date, but was reminded by Craig Ferguson last night (to give credit where it's due). Robots are not, at this point in time, hunting down every last human on the planet. Craig's late-night sidekick is (full disclosure) actually a skeleton robot himself -- but he's really not at all threatening to behold.
However, in a remarkable coincidence, yesterday the Obama administration announced we will be sending drone aircraft armed with missiles to patrol the skies of Libya. This is in addition to the drone aircraft we have in other countries (cough, cough... Pakistan... cough), even if the C.I.A. doesn't "officially" admit they exist.
In other words, robot warfare is indeed taking place today. But it hasn't become self-aware, and it isn't attacking all of humanity. The robots are directed by "pilots" from remote locations (Nevada, for instance), and the robot planes are only attacking targets the United States as a whole is currently attacking.
All kidding aside, though, this is a moral development that hasn't really be adequately discussed. If warfare becomes a remote-controlled operation for America, what does that mean exactly for our future involvement in warfare? Can robot tanks and even robot infantry be all that far behind? I would be willing to bet that tax dollars are being spent right now on the development of both, especially considering how successful the drone aircraft have been. "Successful" is a relative concept, of course. What I mean by it is that no remote control operators have been injured, killed, or captured since we began flying Predators over hostile territory. Many on the ground have been killed or injured by Predator missile attacks, but these are our enemies (and the resulting civilian "collateral damage").
This is going to seriously unbalance the concept of warfare itself. If one side can launch lethal attacks with no risk whatsoever to its military personnel, and the other side does not have this technology, then it's not all that fantastical to see a few years into the future when we just send in the robots to do all our fighting for us, no matter where in the world it takes place.
Again, this is not science fiction. It's a reality that already exists in the skies over at least two countries right now (and possibly more). Robots are killing humans. These robots are not acting on their own, they are fully controlled by human operators -- but the next generation of drone aircraft will not need a human to operate them (again, this is fact, not supposition). Robot artillery, robot tanks, and robot infantry cannot be all that far behind. War as the ultimate video game, in other words.
So, while it's fun to watch Arnold say things like "Hasta la vista, Baby" through clenched teeth on a movie screen, the fictional war between humans and robots has taken on a new dimension these days. Because while Skynet is not real (and certainly didn't start attacking humanity yesterday), robot warfare is becoming more and more real as time goes by.
Which should give everyone pause for thought, whether you've ever seen a Terminator movie or not.
[Continue reading this full article at ChrisWeigant.com, complete with our weekly picks for the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week and Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week awards. Then we end, as always, with our "talking points" section -- where we attempt to aid Democrats in framing their party's message to the public, in a compelling way. And where we take a gratuitous shot at Donald Trump, just because.]
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They are flown by real, living crews bound by all the normal laws of war, but without the mitigating factor of the presence of fear for life and safety.
Long story short (pun intended), in the final battle against Satan, a bttle that man can not afford to lose, man threw in their very best - an all robotic army. After a long battle, Satan and his forces are defeated. God arrives for The Rapture. To the horror of the generals, God makes all the ROBOTS whole and lifts them up to Heaven, leaving Man behind.
They wrote some great short stories back then.
But what is really interesting is what is going to happen when the US finds itself facing someone who is also capable of producing and using such weapons. It may have been careful so far to avoid going up directly against such nations directly, but if they start to respond in kind in places where the US (and its allies) are using such weapons, what happens next is going to be very interesting.
This is off on a tangent, but your last paragraph brought it to mind.
What happens if China attacks Taiwan? Then the US would be borrowing money from China to pay for waging war against China... pretty surreal stuff, folks...
-CW
Of course, those actions will also create chaos in the global economy, and undermine the basis of it for at least a decade, but it would not cause an immediate reaction in domestic politics, and would actually pretty much assure a clean sweep in the next election for whichever party was the most vocal in supporting the measures.
I think the storey was titled, "The Ultimate Weapon."
As the fellow once said, war should be messy - that's what makes it a thing to be avoided.
I will have to check this out. I was never as big an Asmiov fan as some of the other writers of his era in sci-fi, but he does come up with some brilliant plotlines, I will give him that. Thanks for pointing this out! Was it a novel or a short story? If the latter, what collection can it be found in?
I have to admit, when writing this, the only other sci-fi reference which sprang to mind was the Robot Planet in "Sam Slade, Robo-Hunter" from the comic 2000AD (best known for creating Judge Dredd). But that's pretty obscure, unless you're British...
:-)
-CW
I'm in the process of starting a business that relies heavily on CNC technology & I keep thinking of Vonnegut's last machinist at the Illium Works. Stories written 10 years before CNC was even feasible on any scale.
Thanks Anfractous, it's been bugging the hell out of me since CW's article triggered the memory.
LOL! Admit it: Those 80's hairstyles drove you wild.
Maybe it's the legwarmers, I dunno...
Whenever I see the original Terminator, I'm always shocked at how "80s" everyone looks.
:-)
-CW
Since you weren't a big Asimov fan, you'll be happy to know, not only is it a short story - it's a short short story.
http://downlode.org/Etext/power.html
Welcome to the tech singularity.
http://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/The%20CPC%20FY2012%20Budget.pdf
You are right, even if the next generation of drones can fly autonomously and even target by themselves, the order to fire has to be given by a human. I should have mentioned that.
-CW
Robot air warfare is just the next step in the disconnect between action and effect. I suspect it will add the satisfaction of a successful video game move to the lethal acts of war.
Per Talking Point #3, Obama now wields the phrase "millionaires and billionaires". If Kucinich deserves special recognition re Manning, Bernie Sanders (a better Democrat than any Blue Dog, IMHO) does as keeper of the flame with respect to the phrase "millionaires and billionaires".
Obama's running for President again, peppering his speeches with campaign rhetoric. Mario Cuomo famously said "You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose." Pat Moynihan famously said, "You have a right to your own opinions . . . not . . . to your own facts." I say, "If you campaign in Democratic poetry, you have no right to govern in Republican prose." Democratic poetry is nice. Bait and switch isn't. We mustn't confuse Obama's campaign rhetoric with his policies if re-nominated and re-elected. (Obama groupies won't appreciate that "if", but Obama isn't inevitable. No Blue Dog is.)
Good point about Bernie Sanders.
But what really caught my eye was that line about: "If you campaign in Democratic poetry, you have no right to govern in Republican prose." That is simply brilliant. Just had to say that.
-CW