Are we on the precipice of developing autonomous killer robots; unmanned technologies that will completely dominate conflict, remorselessly, perfectly? Some advocates think so but this article explains why the killer robot view is misplaced and in its misdirection, draws attention away from how militaries already use artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. The article draws upon operational constraints, a realistic view of technology, legal constraints, and even cultural aspects of the military to explain that Terminator-like devices are not the aspiration of militaries.
This work is forthcoming as, Hoofnagle, Chris Jay, How the AIs Kill, International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology (2026), available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6505722 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6505722