The killer robot debate

Advances in technology have transformed modern armies.

But as robotics and artificial intelligence progress, so do the chances that militaries will be able to develop 'killer robots' to fight future wars.

In military jargon, these are known as autonomous weapons systems that may not only navigate and find targets without a human 'pilot' but also make the decision to use lethal force on their own.

This has spurred a lively ethical debate about whether and when computers may be entrusted with the decision to take a human life.

On this edition of Global Journalist, we discuss the development of 'killer robots' and the debate about their use.

Joining the program:

• Joel Esposito, a professor of weapons and systems engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.
• Paul Scharre, the director of the Future of Warfare Initiative at the Center for New American Security.
• Stephen Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch and the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots.
• Sharon Weinberger, a journalist and author of the book "The Imagineers of War: the Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World."