by Martin Elster
The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots and thousands of artificial intelligence experts call for a ban on fully autonomous weapons. Such weapons would be able to identify, select and attack without further human intervention. They are just around the corner. We must act now, before it's too late. Human Rights Watch on Monday urged governments to negotiate a treaty that sets standards for meaningful human control over lethal autonomous weapons. The call came a day before representatives from 50 countries met in Geneva to discuss the issue.
To let our killer robots choose their quarry
is more convenient than us deciding.
When they’re correct, it is commendatory.
When wrong (they rarely are), we hope you’re hiding.
They’ve learned to never gun down a civilian.
They’ve learned to only shoot our adversary.
Though true that seven hundred in a million
civvies get taken out, that’s not as scary
as what our nemesis can do to us.
Our killer robots keep you safe, we tell you.
No need to fret. Don’t be a gloomy Gus!
They are convenient. They’ll seldom fell you.
They’re smart, autonomous. Although not flawless,
they’re here to serve. But if you’re harmed? Just call us.
Martin Elster, who never misses a beat, was for many years a percussionist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. His career in music has influenced his fondness for writing metrical verse, which has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies in the US and abroad. A full-length collection Celestial Euphony was published by Plum White Press in 2019.