10. Ethics of Autonomous Weapons

What is the difference between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Weapons? What capabilities do these systems offer in a military context? But perhaps more importantly, can the use of such weapons ever be ethical? In this episode, Professor Pete Lee (University of Portsmouth) moves us away from Terminators and science fiction, so we can appreciate how greater autonomy might affect operations in the near future and what that means for the militaries employing such technology. 

Professor Lee had a career in the RAF as a chaplain before starting an academic career that has seen him research the use and psychological impact of remotely piloted systems, before moving on to consider the ethical issues and questions arising from the use of modern technology in war.