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'It's time to ban killer robots': Professor leads campaign

An Australian professor has called for a ban on killer robots being used in warfare.

University of NSW professor and Artificial Intelligence expert Toby Walsh wants to see robots similar to those used in North and South Korea, outlawed.

Tonight (Tuesday) he will speak to the United Nations in New York, pleading for them to consider the ban,

Professor Walsh believes that the continued use of armed robots will lead to disaster.

Artificial Intelligence expert Toby Walsh is leading a campaign to ban killer robots from warfare. Source: 7 News.
Artificial Intelligence expert Toby Walsh is leading a campaign to ban killer robots from warfare. Source: 7 News.

"This is a dangerous arms race and we don't need to go down there, it's going to be disastrous if we do have killer robots,” he told 7 News.

Killer robots have the ability to track humans, however the final kill command is a decision made by a human.

Source: 7 News.
Source: 7 News.

"Humans are making nine out of 10 mistakes killing with the Predator drone today, with the aptly named Hellfire missile. So it's going to be even worse when we've got a computer making all of those decisions."

"We don't know how to build ethical robots that can make those life or death decisions so to pretend that we can is wrong."

Source: 7 News.
Source: 7 News.

Professor Walsh also questioned whether using robots in wars to save lives, would defeat the very purpose of warfare.

"Warfare should end with people in body bags so that politicians have to justify why this is always a matter of last resort."