More scary stuff. This time an article from aviation news chronicling the U.S. and partners' desire to interlink a vast, global network of unmanned drones all controlled through a centralised command centre. The pitch is simple: Information (or rather, the collation of information) is power. With thousands or even tens of thousands of drones airborne across the globe, telemetry can be analysed, cross-referenced and shared and if need be, strikes can be ordered to the very drones that are sending all the information.
It is a Terminator-esque level of military intelligence, the likes of which we can only imagine. In actual fact, all of the technology needed to make this work is already available. It becomes a simple matter of binding it all together with the necessary funding, software and logistics; ok, not so simple...but certainly doable.
To put this into context: imagine a world-wide air traffic control system (such systems already exist with this capability) where the planes not only fly, they take pictures and shoot missiles too.
Get the picture? (pun intended)
The rationale? It's cheaper than sending hundreds of warships and spyplanes around the world to keep track of everything from terrorist activities in Sudan to pesky drug cartels in Northern Australia, or possibly identifying that the two are interconnected.
The problem? Who controls it? Who governs it? Most importantly: Who has their button on the trigger?
Somewhere, Orwell is laughing.
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Well, obviously this isn't skynet, as the AI has nothing to do with neither consciousness or even a moderate level of intelligence - this is more on the level of "IF THEN ELSE" kind of AI.
ReplyDeleteBut, as you said, the scary part is again who has access and who controls it, etc. This is a militarized version of Echelon, and that was/is bad enough. What should put up even more of an alarm bell, is the fact that we have satellites to take care of this kind of global surveillance. The satellites can't be directed too much, but we have so many satellites already orbiting the Earth that there is virtually no place on Earth you could hide anyway, and their long distance cameras wouldn't be able to pick it up. So what's the use for this system? Certainly not monitoring - this is 100% based on quick and efficient application of explosive ordnance to military (or who's to say it stays military? Colombian drug cartels? State leaders? ) targets.
Another thing is, this system is 100% computerized, and of course will utilize a very advanced security system. However if there's something we have learned by now, it's that there's no system that is so secure that it can never get hacked. Now consider what a global network of armed drones with Hellfire missiles can do in just 5-10 minutes, if an aggressive organization gets a hold of it? Whoop there goes the Pentagon/White House, European Parliament, the House of Nobles, Reichstag, Chinese Republic, or maybe just most of the fuel refineries in the Middle East?
And that's with the unintended purposes - what about the intended? Technically this would enable anybody with access to this system to hold the world hostage. Nobody can defend themselves from a Predator missile coming in their living room window, and hitting multiple targets could cripple any country in a matter of seconds. E.g. hit all the main power plant connectors in the States? There's, as far as I recall, only about 6-7 of them, and that would cause a total blackout of the entire country. Take a smaller country and it's maybe just 1-2 places you need to hit, and the country is essentially reduced to rubble.
This system might be impressive and interesting from a technological standpoint, but from an ethical standpoint, this is right up there with nuclear missiles.
Agree completely, Christian.
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