Artificial Intelligence in Autonomous Weapons

Artificial Intelligence in Autonomous Weapons

The assignment: Your formal writing assignment for this course consists of choosing ONE of the case studies below and then, in response, answering a short series of questions about that case. Here are your case-study options, followed by the questions you will need to answer as well as other writing guidelines:

Option 1: The impact of AI on design/creative professions • READ: When a machine designs, what should be its limits? ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Aesthetics’ – https://www.archdaily.com/937051/when-machines-des…

Option 2: Autonomous Weapons and Questions of Governance and Diplomacy: who controls what? • READ: ‘AI & Global Governance: When Autonomous Weapons Meet Diplomacy’ – https://cpr.unu.edu/ai-global-governance-when-auto…

Option 3: Machine Learning, Algorithms, and Bias: should we/can we design unbiased systems? • READ: ‘You can’t eliminate bias from machine learning, but you can pick your bias’ – https://venturebeat.com/2020/11/14/you-cant-elimin…

Questions (answer both – these will be the primary focus of your writing): 1. What are the main problems connected to the use of A.I. considered in your case study? What argument or arguments are being made about the dangers of A.I.? Please explain in your own words what you see as the key parts of the text, making sure to explain any important terms.

2. Reflecting upon the kinds of A.I. discussed in your case study, tell me: how can this technology be made to work so that it avoids the pitfalls or dangers mentioned in the case? Likewise, what do YOU think constitutes a “good” (as in ethical) use of this technology? (You may want to refer to our readings on Utilitarianism and Deontology (duty ethics) in composing your thoughts on this final question.)General writing guidelines and other comments:

– Essay length: between 1,000 and 1,200 words (which is approximately 2.5+ pages in length).

– Format: proper essay structure throughout; please make sure to introduce your topic/case study

briefly as well as offer some concluding remarks; also, make sure to 1) keep your margins within a

normal range (not too wide or too narrow), 2) keep the font within a normal range (11-12 point), and

3) use a normal font style (Times New Roman, Gill Sans MT, etc.).

– Research: no research outside of reading the case study itself .

– Referencing of sources: when referring to anything from your reading on the core ethical theories or

from the Wallach and Allen text, pick a formal citation style (such as MLA, APA, etc.) and use it

consistently; anything (ideas or quotes) you have borrowed or gleaned from these sources, including

paraphrasing, must be acknowledged and cited properly. Again, as noted above: this is not a research

paper. Please do not go beyond the main readings themselves (case study, core theories readings, and

the Wallach and Allen text) when responding to the above questions.