00:00Autonomous defense systems have been around for quite some time now.
00:04They can help ward off drones, which often go unnoticed until the very last second.
00:09But this autonomy isn't exclusive to defense.
00:12Increasingly, modern weapons are making autonomous decisions on attacks.
00:18Loitering munitions, for example, which circle over a target area, searching for and identifying
00:26hostile objects.
00:28They then attack targets autonomously, without human intervention – that's different
00:33from a passive reaction to an approaching projectile.
00:37Loitering munitions might take the form of kamikaze drones.
00:42They circle over an area for up to nine hours.
00:46Sensors identify potential targets, comparing them to the targets they were trained on.
00:53In the event of a good match, the drone and its explosive charge descends.
00:58Crashing straight into the target.
01:02Typically, soldiers will monitor the process, keeping a human in the loop.
01:07If in doubt, they can still abort.
01:10The minimum requirement we should have is that when we use autonomy in weapon systems – and
01:19by we I mean the Bundeswehr or NATO – then we ensure meaningful human control.
01:25For example, that humans have an appropriate level of command.
01:28That's the only one-to-range machine system.
01:30Armored escort vehicles can follow soldiers autonomously across rugged terrain.
01:36Vehicles like this and so-called robot dogs can be equipped and programmed for varying degrees
01:41of autonomy.
01:42But the more data is processed, the faster decisions have to be made.
01:49The more humans are sidelined.
01:52In my view, this is the trend that should be monitored.
02:01Humans are gradually being pushed out of the decision-making process.
02:09The machine makes more and more decisions – until, at some point, they are faced with the question
02:14– me or the machine?
02:18Thomas Küchenmeister is the German spokesman for the campaign to stop killer robots.
02:23The organization is advocating for a United Nations ban or at least regulation of autonomous
02:29weapons systems.
02:31But so far, the UN has been unable to reach a conclusion.
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