MAPPING THE FIELD OF AUTONOMY: A techno-anthropological study into the literature of autonomous weapons systems
Author
Behrndtz, Alexander Nordal
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-09-04
Pages
69
Abstract
De hurtige fremskridt i droner, maskinlæring, forbedret AI og andre informations- og kommunikationsteknologier (IKT) gør det plausibelt, at dødelige autonome våbensystemer (LAWS) kan blive almindelige i krigszoner. Disse teknologier rejser komplekse spørgsmål, der ikke kun er tekniske, men også moralske, juridiske, fænomenologiske, sociale, psykologiske og politiske. Et centralt tema er ansvar og ansvarlighed: hvem bærer ansvaret, når et system handler på egen hånd og opfører sig uforudsigeligt eller virker illogisk for mennesker? Sådanne debatter er komplekse problemer uden én enkel løsning. Dette speciale forsøger ikke at løse alle kontroverser omkring autonome våben. I stedet undersøger det, hvordan disse teknologier forstås, fremstilles og diskuteres, for at øge forståelsen af deres mulige konsekvenser og af, hvordan man kan håndtere dem. Metodisk anvendes først et Actor-Network Theory (ANT) perspektiv til at kortlægge relationer og sammenhænge omkring autonome våben. På baggrund af dette følger en postfænomenologisk, kropslig analyse, der ser på, hvordan teknologiske relationer medierer menneskers forståelse og handling.
Rapid advances in drones, machine learning, improved AI, and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) make it plausible that Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) could become common in warzones. These technologies raise complex questions that are not only technical but also moral, legal, phenomenological, social, psychological, and political. A central issue is responsibility and accountability: who is responsible when a system acts on its own and behaves unpredictably or in ways that seem illogical to humans? These debates are wicked problems with no single, simple solution. This thesis does not aim to resolve all controversies around autonomous weapons. Instead, it examines how these technologies are understood, represented, and discussed, to deepen understanding of their possible consequences and how to face them. Methodologically, it first applies an Actor-Network Theory (ANT) lens to map relations and contexts around autonomous weapons. Building on this, a postphenomenological, embodied analysis explores how technological relations mediate human understanding and action.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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