Is now the time to ban lethal autonomous weapons systems?
One of the most controversial aspects of the rise of intelligent machines is the development of ‘lethal autonomous weapon systems’. But what impact will these 'killer robots' have on the way wars are fought?
Can we retain some form of human control, is there any way to responsibly manage their risks and benefits? Or is now the time to ban killer robots?
Join Scientia Professor Toby Walsh, UNSW's 'rockstar' expert on AI, Associate Professor Jessica Whyte, a philosopher seeking to illuminate the moral economy of contemporary warfare, and Matilda Byrne, a specialist in international security and disarmament.
This event will discuss the international movement to bring about a ban, why it exists and how it relates to the situation in Australia.
Toby Walsh (Host)
Toby Walsh is an ARC Laureate Fellow and Scientia Professor of AI at UNSW Sydney and CSIRO Data61. He is a strong advocate for limits to ensure AI is used to improve our lives, having spoken at the UN, and to heads of state, parliamentary bodies, company boards and many other bodies on this topic. He is a Fellow of the Australia Academy of Science, and was named on the international Who's Who in AI list of influencers. He has authored three books on AI for a general audience, the most recent entitled Machines Behaving Badly: the morality of AI.
Matilda Byrne
SpeakerMatilda Byrne is the National Coordinator (Australia) for the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, working towards a preemptive ban on lethal autonomous weapon systems. She is also Secretary of SafeGround Inc, an Australian NGO that conducts research and projects to reduce the impacts of legacy weapons in the Asia-Pacific. As well as disarmament, her interests include humanitarian intervention and the intersection of strategic defence policy and ethics.
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