“Phew!” is quite the understatement

Sci-fi movies and writings of all kinds have prepared the masses to beware of super and unstable robots taking over humanity. Now, however, it is critical to officially distinguish between moral and immoral technological advancements when it comes to artificial intelligence in military systems because AI is becoming more and more involved in them.

Scientists by the thousands, including Elon Musk, signed a pledge, brought about by Future of Life Insitute, that asserts it is unacceptable to create robots that can harm human life “without human oversight.” The Lethal Autonomous Weapons Pledge urges governments to focus efforts on developing strong laws and regulations against lethal autonomous weapons.

The pledge states that no robot should ever have the autonomy to harm or take a human life. Those who signed the pledge agree to hold themselves to a high standard and “neither participate in nor support the development, manufacture, trade, or use of lethal autonomous weapons.” They want other organizations, communities, and individuals to join them in this explicit call to action.

Aside from this pledge, 26 countries specifically called for a ban on killer robots. Let’s make sure the rest of the world acts swiftly in applying morality to the future development of military technology.