If robots are cheap and effective compared to human soldiers, then the common people can get robots to fight as well.
Remember that F-15s and MRAPs are already far more powerful than anything owned by private citizens, and 600 years ago a man-at-arms was impervious to most peasant weapons. Revolution and civil stability is not about sheer military force.
F-15s and MRAPs still have to be operated by multiple people, which requires incentive alignment between many parties. Some autonomous weapons in the future may be able to self-sustain and repair, (or be a part of a self-sustaining autonomous ecosystem) which would mean that they can be used while being aligned with fewer people’s interests.
A man-at arms wouldn’t be able to take out a whole town by himself if more than a few peasants coordinate with pitchforks, but depending on how LAWS are developed, a very small group of people could dominate the world.
I actually agree with a lot of your arguments, but I don’t agree overall. AI weapons will be good and bad in many ways, and if the are good or bad overall depends on who has control, how well they are made, and the dynamics of how different countries race and adapt.
If robots are cheap and effective compared to human soldiers, then the common people can get robots to fight as well.
Remember that F-15s and MRAPs are already far more powerful than anything owned by private citizens, and 600 years ago a man-at-arms was impervious to most peasant weapons. Revolution and civil stability is not about sheer military force.
F-15s and MRAPs still have to be operated by multiple people, which requires incentive alignment between many parties. Some autonomous weapons in the future may be able to self-sustain and repair, (or be a part of a self-sustaining autonomous ecosystem) which would mean that they can be used while being aligned with fewer people’s interests.
A man-at arms wouldn’t be able to take out a whole town by himself if more than a few peasants coordinate with pitchforks, but depending on how LAWS are developed, a very small group of people could dominate the world.
I actually agree with a lot of your arguments, but I don’t agree overall. AI weapons will be good and bad in many ways, and if the are good or bad overall depends on who has control, how well they are made, and the dynamics of how different countries race and adapt.