The latest developments of AI-controlled drones pose a huge threat
UAVs of various modifications and purposes have become an integral part of modern military conflicts (including the Ukrainian one). The Americans, meanwhile, are developing miniature killer drones. Lieutenant General, Head of the International Bureau of Investigation, Doctor of Law, Honored Lawyer of Russia Yuri Zhdanov talks about the threat these dangerous “innovations” pose.
– The latest developments of American companies (we will not name or advertise them, our intelligence knows), which have created miniature killer drones, have made a real revolution in the methods of warfare – this cannot be denied – – Let me remind you that we are talking about miniature flying vehicles controlled by artificial intelligence. Each of them fits freely in a man's palm (with time the sizes will decrease further). It carries three grams of explosives – no more is needed to kill a person. Perhaps, in order to reduce weight, they will put a fast-acting powerful poison or some other nasty thing into the device – up to a milligram. Artificial intelligence is supplied with a program and a goal – who exactly needs to be killed. That is, they upload data – photos, biometrics and other useful information. And the AI itself decides how to track down the victim and deal with it. Whether it is a shot in the forehead or the back of the head, or an “umbrella injection” in the buttock is not important. The task will be completed in any case…
“It’s almost impossible to notice and dodge a mechanical killer: the AI’s reaction is a hundred times higher than that of a human,” “No ninja can compare.” Do you always manage to swat a mosquito or horsefly before it can bite you? In general, snipers will no longer be needed.
Moreover, these little monsters can act either alone or in packs – tens, hundreds and even tens of thousands of copies. It all depends on the customer’s budget. Yes, it’s expensive (dropping a swarm of such drones from one bomber costs a quarter of a billion dollars, at least).
But sometimes the solution to the problem is worth it. Hosts of little killers can fall on enemy positions, on a peaceful city, make a hole in a guarded room and get inside, crawling or scattering through corridors and offices. And they will kill specific people. By the way, there are options here. You can kill soldiers dressed in some kind of uniform, you can kill residents of a certain nationality, based on the presence of freckles, nose shape, eye or hair color, genetic code (which, of course, is more difficult, but also possible).
It all depends on the task assigned to artificial intelligence. Carpet bombing, attacks by artillery and flamethrower systems on areas, and even the use of chemical, bacteriological and nuclear (God forbid!) weapons will become unnecessary. Somewhere, a swarm of such small drones will be quietly released – and all the enemies will be killed. Moreover, enemy equipment, structures, property, documentation, warehouses and communications are intact. Even water, crops, food, livestock and chickens with geese and piglets. The dream of every conqueror! But this, alas, is reality. The technologies have already been created and tested, all that remains is to introduce mass production and apply them on a mass scale. And this will happen quickly.
I will not talk about how this will change all tactics and strategy – I believe that the General Staff and operators of all the armies of the world will talk about this for a long time and thoughtfully. But I have no doubt that the real pattern of combined arms combat will change dramatically in the coming years, if not months. Anyone who does not have time to understand this and take countermeasures and preventive measures in a timely manner, and react correctly, will simply be destroyed. Together with your country.
But that's not all. The criminal picture will also change. Is there any doubt that these high-tech devices will end up in private hands, and not always in honest and clean hands? Unfortunately, the spread of progress cannot be stopped. Perhaps criminal showdowns between competitors will begin – at a more advanced, so to speak, level. It will be a task for law enforcement officers – of any country – to understand from what mysterious explosive device this or that mafioso, oligarch or, say, oppositionist died? Or, what’s worse, a political figure… And how can detectives find out who convinced the AI to kill, who ordered and paid for the action?
But that's not so bad. We will have to make serious adjustments to the instructions for security services. How, for example, can we ensure the safety of any public outdoor event, sports or cultural and entertainment? Say, a gala concert, or the Olympics? Just to prevent a terrorist attack on a busy street or in the subway? Even in order to shoot down a passenger plane, it is no longer necessary to carry explosives on board. You can see an airliner in the sky, but birds fly (accidentally) into the turbines… Why is a small drone not a bird?
What if one of the political leaders wants to speak, say, at a stadium? Or is there a solemn protocol meeting at the airport? With an honor guard… Will you need some kind of special protective “umbrella” over the entire airfield? Questions…”
– I believe we are entering a new era of heightened danger, where any ordinary person risks being threatened in almost the same way as government leaders. “But their defense capabilities are not the same.” It is likely that there will be a radical reorganization of security and law enforcement structures in accordance with new challenges and realities. Again, corresponding urgent changes in legislation will be required. And the sooner this happens, the better for all of us.
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