Brain Implants and Memory [Commentary]

Heather M. Roff and Peter W. Singer [1] strikingly identify a problem for the next American president in the form of a decision on policy for autonomous (a form of robotic) weapon systems. In an important passage about the difference between semi-autonomous versus fully-autonomous weapon systems, Roff and Singer note the difference between a system where there is a human in the loop versus a system where there is no human in the loop. They explain with examples, some of the problems that currently exist with regard to how lethal force could be applied in both kinds of systems and what the implications are for humanity over time with regard to not only morality, but to outcomes for, perhaps, the species. Important in this logic is an assumption by the authors that there remains a distinction between humans and machines.