Drone warfare: The autonomous debate

THIS SEPTEMBER, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced plans to launch covert drone strikes against suspected Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIL) militants from a base in north-eastern Niger President Trump's predecessor Barack Obama had sought to put drone operations under military control. However, under Trump's rule, there has been a move to give the CIA an expanded role in drone strikes. Can society trust those in power to ensure these powerful weapons don't fall into the wrong hands, or is the ever-growing development in autonomous technology a factor we need to be concerned about?