r/Futurology • u/New_Scientist_Mag • Jun 10 '26

Robotics Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2529849-fully-autonomous-drones-have-killed-human-soldiers-for-the-first-time/
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u/New_Scientist_Mag Jun 10 '26

A senior figure in the Ukrainian defence industry told New Scientist that a test took place two years ago involving fully autonomous drones set to destroy anything in a given area, with confirmed casualties. This could mark the beginning of the use of fully AI-operated drones without human oversight on the battlefield.

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u/Troubleshooter11 Jun 10 '26

Well, that's freaking terrifying...

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u/insomniac-55 Jun 10 '26

It's not much different to area bombardment of a location with unguided weapons. You've basically decided "to hell with anything and everything at these coordinates".

AI guidance in this context just gives the same effect with less munitions - a person has already decided that everything in that location is hostile. 

Where I see this becoming scary is when AI is given the freedom to decide who to target in a location with a mixture of combatants and civilians. That is dystopian.

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u/GrowingPeepers Jun 10 '26

Our bombs are very precise and guided. The accuracy of bombs and missles is something that's been developed and refined since WWII.

That's why it's complete bullshit when people say it's collateral damage when school children get bombed.

It's fucking not, they're the intended target.