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"New 蘑菇视频在线观看versus the killer robots鈥 might sound like a science fiction B-movie, but that was essentially the focus of an event at parliament earlier this month.
Hosted by Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control Phil Twyford, the 鈥溾 looked at how New 蘑菇视频在线观看might take more of an international lead in regulating these highly contentious new technologies.
Twyford warned of the danger of warfare 鈥渄elegated to machines鈥. He referred to a听听showing widespread public opposition to the deployment of autonomous weapons in war and strong support for government action to ban or limit their development and use.
The prospect of New Zealand鈥檚 leadership has been warmly received by activists and campaigners involved in the 鈥渒iller robots鈥 debate.
Human Rights Watch鈥檚 Mary Wareham听听New 蘑菇视频在线观看leadership could act as 鈥渁 total catalyst for action鈥, while the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots listed Twyford鈥檚 commitment as one of the 鈥溾 of its campaign to date.
Yet New 蘑菇视频在线观看has not joined the 30 states that have formally called for a听, and Twyford鈥檚 statements have tended to waver between bullish and reserved. During the event at parliament he acknowledged the clear ethical problems with autonomous weapons, but also the complexity of making policy.
Sensitivity to military allies
If the mood of the people and government of New 蘑菇视频在线观看is strongly behind regulation, what makes the issue so difficult?
The short answer is politics and economics. A听听for Twyford is allowing the New 蘑菇视频在线观看Defence Force to work with allies and partners.
Both the US and Australia are heavily invested in pursuing cutting-edge military technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomy. A key pillar of their strategy is building systems that听听on the battlefield.
Leading a movement to have these systems regulated or banned could see New Zealand鈥檚 military shut out of joint exercises where such technologies are being trialled or used.
Given the听听to take a stronger stand against China, it seems unlikely New Zealand鈥檚 Foreign Affairs and Trade or Defence ministries will want to risk further discord with key defence partners.
Protecting high-tech industry
The second hurdle lies in the economic promise of technologies developed in New 蘑菇视频在线观看that could potentially be used in autonomous weapons programmes elsewhere.
Many leading engineers and technologists have advocated for the听听of autonomous weapons, but others are attracted by the potential rewards of military-related projects.
These tensions have听听in the debate about US military payloads being launched from New 蘑菇视频在线观看by US-owned aerospace company Rocket Lab.
Autonomous weapons could well see similar questions raised about other technologies developed by New 蘑菇视频在线观看companies or researchers 鈥 most obviously in the fields of computer vision, robotics and swarm intelligence 鈥 that could be used in military systems.
Regulating autonomous weapons without also inhibiting potentially lucrative AI and robotics research and development remains a challenge.
Public opinion not enough
The hope that regulation of autonomous weapons could represent another 鈥渁nti-nuclear moment鈥 in New Zealand鈥檚 disarmament and foreign policy history therefore seems premature.
While it鈥檚 clear there is support for some form of regulation, there鈥檚听听at this stage to suggest public opinion will sway the government鈥檚 current conservative and watchful position.
So, what should be done? In the absence of international agreement, New 蘑菇视频在线观看could press ahead with its own domestic legislation to regulate these technologies, as proposed in a听听from local Campaign to Stop Killer Robots coordinator Edwina Hughes.
This has the potential to expose a lack of serious commitment to principle in the government鈥檚 position, but it would still come up against the political and economic interests opposed to action on autonomous weapons.
Acknowledging those political and economic obstacles is a critical first step for meaningful public debate.
Engagement and transparency the key
In the near term, a stocktaking exercise should be undertaken to understand what research and development is being carried out in New 蘑菇视频在线观看universities and companies.
Efforts should also be made to understand which autonomous technologies are likely to be developed and possibly deployed in the coming years by New Zealand鈥檚 major defence partners, particularly Australia and the US.
Serious, sustained dialogue with commercial interests and defence partners is a necessary precondition for the advancement of Twyford鈥檚 agenda. While there is听听this work is underway, it needs greater transparency to ensure public understanding of what鈥檚 at stake.
Without that, New 蘑菇视频在线观看will probably struggle to take an international leadership role on this critical issue.
This article was originally published on听.
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