Video: This Organization Wants to Stop Killer Robots
Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at the LA Premiere of "Terminator Genisys" at Dolby Theater on Sunday, June 28, 2015. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Fifty NGOs have banded together to create a campaign to encourage governments to act now to prevent dangerous autonomous machines in the future.
With the film "Terminator Genisys" in theaters this week, some might think an artificial intelligence choosing to kill humans is purely science fiction. But one organization believes that could soon be a reality.
A coalition of more than 50 NGOs have banded together to create the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which encourages governments to act now to prevent dangerous autonomous machines in the future.
"Our aim is to prevent the kill decision being given to a machine," said robotics professor Noel Sharkey, who helps spearhead the campaign. "A weapon that once it's been activated or launched decides to select its own targets and kills them without further human intervention."
Sharkey says he has no problem with artificial intelligence in general, but would want to see AI help people -- not decide to pull the trigger.
Since the campaign launched two years ago, the United Nations has added the issue of banning autonomous killer robots to its agenda and will continue to discuss it through 2015.
To learn more about the campaign, check out the video below from CNET: