Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century
"riveting and comprehensive, encompassing every aspect of the rise of military robotics." —Financial Times\ In Wired for War, P. W. Singer explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bomb: the dawn of robotic warfare. We are on the cusp of a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make real the stuff of I, Robot and The Terminator. Blending historical evidence with interviews of an amazing cast of characters, Singer shows how technology is changing not...
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"riveting and comprehensive, encompassing every aspect of the rise of military robotics." —Financial Times In Wired for War, P. W. Singer explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bomb: the dawn of robotic warfare. We are on the cusp of a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make real the stuff of I, Robot and The Terminator. Blending historical evidence with interviews of an amazing cast of characters, Singer shows how technology is changing not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics, laws, and the ethics that surround war itself. Traveling from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan to modern-day "skunk works" in the midst of suburbia, Wired for War will tantalize a wide readership, from military buffs to policy wonks to gearheads. Publishers Weekly Brookings Institute fellow Singer (Children at War) believes that "we resist trying to research and understand change" in the making of war. Robotics promises to be the most comprehensive instrument of change in war since the introduction of gunpowder. Beginning with a brief and useful survey of robotics, Singer discusses its military applications during WWII, the arming and autonomy of robots at the turn of the century, and the broad influence of robotics on near-future battlefields. How, for example, can rules of engagement for unmanned autonomous machines be created and enforced? Can an artificial intelligence commit a war crime? Arguably more significant is Singer's provocative case that war itself will be redefined as technology creates increasing physical and emotional distance from combat. As robotics diminishes war's risks the technology diminishes as well the higher purposes traditionally used to justify it. Might that reduce humanity's propensity for war making? Or will robotics make war less humane by making it less human? Singer has more questions than answers-but it is difficult to challenge his concluding admonition to question and study the technologies of military robotics-while the chance remains. (Jan. 26)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Author's Note: Why a Book on Robots and War? 1Pt. 1 The Change We Are Creating1 Introduction: Scenes from a Robot War 192 Smart Bombs, Norma Jeane, and Defecating Ducks: A Short History of Robotics 423 Robotics for Dummies 664 To Infinity and Beyond: The Power of Exponential Trends 945 Coming Soon to a Battlefield Near You: The Next Wave of Warbots 1096 Always in the Loop? The Arming and Autonomy of Robots 1237 Robotic Gods: Our Machine Creators 1358 What Inspires Them: Science Fiction's Impact on Science Reality 1509 The Refuseniks: The Roboticists Who Just Say No 170Pt. 2 What Change Is Creating for Us10 The Big Cebrowski and the Real RMA: Thinking About Revolutionary Technologies 17911 "Advanced" Warfare: How We Might Fight with Robots 20512 Robots That Don't Like Apple Pi: How the U.S. Could Lose the Unmanned Revolution 23713 Open-Source Warfare: College Kids, Terrorists, and Other New Users of Robots at War 26114 Losers and Luddites: The Changing Battlefields Robots Will Fight On and the New Electronic Sparks of War 27915 The Psychology of Warbots 29716 YouTube War: The Public and Its Unmanned Wars 31517 Changing the Experience of War and the Warrior 32618 Command and Control ... Alt-Delete: New Technologies and Their Effect on Leadership 34419 Who Let You in the War? Technology and the New Demographics of Conflict 36020 Digitizing the Laws of War and Other Issues of (Un)Human Rights 38221 A Robot Revolt? Talking About Robot Ethics 41322 Conclusion: The Duality of Robots and Humans 428Acknowledgments 437Notes 439Index 483
\ Publishers WeeklyBrookings Institute fellow Singer (Children at War) believes that "we resist trying to research and understand change" in the making of war. Robotics promises to be the most comprehensive instrument of change in war since the introduction of gunpowder. Beginning with a brief and useful survey of robotics, Singer discusses its military applications during WWII, the arming and autonomy of robots at the turn of the century, and the broad influence of robotics on near-future battlefields. How, for example, can rules of engagement for unmanned autonomous machines be created and enforced? Can an artificial intelligence commit a war crime? Arguably more significant is Singer's provocative case that war itself will be redefined as technology creates increasing physical and emotional distance from combat. As robotics diminishes war's risks the technology diminishes as well the higher purposes traditionally used to justify it. Might that reduce humanity's propensity for war making? Or will robotics make war less humane by making it less human? Singer has more questions than answers-but it is difficult to challenge his concluding admonition to question and study the technologies of military robotics-while the chance remains. (Jan. 26)\ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \ \ \ \ Book ForumGenuinely Provocative\ \ \ HarpersIn his latest work, Wired for War, Singer confesses his passion for science fiction as he introduces us to a glimpse of things to come-the new technologies that will shape wars of the future. His new book addresses some ominous and little-discussed questions about the military, technology, and machinery.\ \ \ \ \ Military.comWired for War is a sprawling, eye-opening, important look at an evolving technology that promises to change the future in profound ways. Read it. Be prepared.\ \ \ \ \ The Armchair General. . . Full of vignettes on the use of robotics, first-person interviews with end-users, what has occurred in the robotics industry in its support of the nation, and what is "coming soon." Some of the new ideas are just downright mind-blowing . . .\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsBattlefield robotics is transforming modern war and saving American lives, according to this enthusiastic account. Brookings Institution senior fellow Singer (Children at War, 2005, etc) begins with a history of the crude, radio-controlled unmanned vehicles and planes of World Wars I and II. Technology made quantum advances over the following decades, but resistance from military leaders hobbled development. Leading the opposition were U.S. Air Force generals, who took for granted that any respectable warplane had a pilot. By the '80s the logjam had broken, and the 1991 Gulf War saw the much-publicized use of "smart bombs" as well as unmanned drones buzzing over Iraqi positions to transmit their observations. America's 21st-century wars feature ingenious battlefield robots that peer around corners, search for the enemy in dangerous caves and inspect roadside bombs while their operators remain at a safe distance. Overhead, vastly improved drones search for suspicious activity and occasionally rain down destruction. The indefatigable author crisscrossed the country, interviewing engineers, soldiers, politicians and generals to deliver a vivid picture of the current controversies and dazzling possibilities of war in the digital age. As recent headlines on civilian deaths from American air attacks in Afghanistan reveal, many kinks remain to be ironed out. Tempering the optimism of the introductory chapters, Singer devotes much of his text to the flaws of these new devices and steep learning curve involved in employing them. He also reminds readers that even the most backward enemies possess a surprising ability to adapt. He points out what every thoughtful reader knows: Confronted bydevastating, high-tech American technology, Iraqi insurgents haven't scurried into oblivion, and the Taliban in Afghanistan are not retreating but advancing. An engrossing picture of a new class of weapon that may revolutionize future wars but has not greatly daunted our current opponents.\ \
