6 thoughts on “Automated Soldiers, Jacob Rubin

  1. Jake,

    Impressive analysis of automated soldiers and AI in warfare. Really interesting topic and it is clear that you as the presenter are passionate about the topic. That made it especially easy to engage with the material and formulate my own thoughts and opinions about AI used in warfare. Loved the fact that you incorporated patronage (the entertainment industry) into your presentation. I’m sure Prof. Cohen is going to love that! I honestly had no idea that WWII was the first time that countries considered using automated soldiers and robots for combat. Moreover, your discussion on Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics was a strong addition to your presentation because it demonstrated that there truly was serious consideration by scholars and academics alike about the advantages and disadvantages about AI in combat. What I found fascinating is that although no AI has been used in combat to date, societies around the world have still created rules and regulations for the prohibition of killing functions in robots. There’s even an International Committee for Robots Arms Control. Overall, strong analysis of the benefits and disadvantage of automated soldiers in combat and a job well done!

  2. Overall, I thought your slidecast was excellent! I think you did a great job telling a story while working in a lot of things we talked about in the class. I thought your pacing was excellent, both in the timing of the slides and the speed you were talking at. I liked how you tied military patronage and the second industrial revolution in. I also think it was a good idea using Terminator to show how the public viewed autonomous soldiers. I had not heard of the 3 laws of robots before; that was so interesting! And the fact that there is an international committee for robot arms control was news to me. I also liked the point you brought up about identifying enemies and how it’s hard for humans to make those decisions in the seconds after breaching a room. Seems like a definite plus of robot soldiers. Really, I can’t think of anything negative to say… great job!

  3. Jacob,

    Hey great job! I thought this was a very cool presentation. I enjoyed hearing about the utopian and dystopian views that people have had over the years and learning about the origin of the automated device in WWII. Great class connection to the Second Industrial revolution with the American system of manufacturing! Also the fact many inventions were invented with intentions to end conflict and did nothing but catalyze it was a great way to show the unreliability in artificial intelligence and automated soldiers. Yes they may have their positives but what are the negatives? We don’t know what will happen and that’s where the utopian and dystopian views come in! Terminator is a great example of these visions… and is a great movie.
    I had no problem understanding anything, the audio was fine, a little fuzzy at the end but it did not hinder the audio. The timing of your pictures and you audio was perfect, and you used your pictures very effectively.

  4. Jacob,

    This was a great project! It is clear that you have a lot of knowledge on the subject, and because I do not know much about automated soldiers, I found your presentation very engaging. You hit on a lot of class concepts. It’s not surprising that the government played a large role in the development of automated soldier, but the entertainment industry influenced society’s views of this technology as well. The continuing debate as to whether weaponized AI should be used highlights the concept that technology policy is determined by non-technical factors such as societal values, fears, and hopes for the future. You also explained the various dystopian and utopian visions of automated soldiers. These competing visions helped to demonstrate that technology is neither good nor bad. I also liked that you mentioned how the american system of manufacturing allowed for the mass production of firearms. Your topic was very interesting, and I learned a lot from watching it.

  5. One hell of a topic, definitely my favorite one. The mix of utopian and dystopian views was a cool angle to take but I definitely think way more people are afraid of robots becoming warriors then there are people who think it would be a deterrent. After all, scientists and politicians thought that the nuclear bomb would deter future wars but we saw how that turned out. It seems hard to talk about war now-a-days and it’s future without mentioning World War 2, which you did here along with the American method of industry, clever throwback to class. I especially liked the terminator example as showing how popular culture views robots in the future. And the Isaac Asimov reference with his 3 laws were spot on, I see where they got that from in the movie irobot now. Artifical intelligence is certainly growing and moral questions are growing in complexity by the day, so this was a good example of what society thinks is going to happen in the future.

  6. Jacob,
    Having grown up watching Terminator, RoboCop, and StarWars, this is a very interesting topic to me. From what we discussed in class it really does seem like the entertainment industry fueled much of the speculation up until the start of the 21st century. Most of these speculations giving the field of robotics a bad rap. I thought it was interesting the idea of Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics. Especially the fact that each progressive law cannot break the preceding ones. I do not know if you have seen the Will Smith movie iRobot, but the main concept revolves around these three laws. I also really enjoyed you discussion of countries have the ability to use robots versus having the moral right to use them. This is still an ongoing debate and will probably be one for our lifetimes as these technologies become realities. Overall, I really enjoyed your presentation, the only downside was that the voiceover seemed a little muffled at times, but overall, great presentation!
    —Josh

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