Jul 20, 2018
This week Andy and Dave take a respite from the world of AI. In
the meantime, Larry Lewis hosts Shawn Steene from the Office of
Secretary of Defense. Shawn manages DOD Directive 3000.09 – US
military policy on autonomous weapons – and is a member of the US
delegation to the UN’s CCW meetings on Lethal Autonomous Weapon
Systems (LAWS). Shawn and Larry discuss U.S. policy, what DOD
Directive 3000.09 actually means, and how the future of AI could
more closely resemble the android data than SKYNET from the
Terminator movies. That leads to a discussion of some common
misconceptions about artificial intelligence and autonomy in
military applications, and how these misconceptions can manifest
themselves in the UN talks. With data having single-handedly saved
the day in the eighth and tenth Star Trek movies (First Contact and
Nemesis, respectively), perhaps Star Trek should be required
viewing for the next UN meeting in Geneva.
Larry Lewis is
the Director of the Center for
Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence at CNA. His areas of
expertise include lethal autonomy, reducing civilian casualties,
identifying lessons from current operations, security assistance,
and counterterrorism.