Inside the killer robot ‘arms race’ where the world’s five leading superpowers are secretly preparing for an all-out futuristic war
Leading experts say robots with the ability to kill targets of their own choosing are less than 10 years away from being a reality
WORLD superpowers are engaged in a feverish "arms race" to develop the first killer robots completely removed from human control, the Sun Online can reveal.
These machines will mark a dramatic escalation in computer AI from the drones and robots currently in use, all of which still require a human to press the "kill button".
In a series of exclusive interviews, leading experts told The Sun Online machines making life or death decisions will likely be developed within the next 10 years.
Fears are now growing about the implications of creating such smart machines, as are concerns they will fall into the hands of terrorist groups such as ISIS.
Locked in this new race for military supremacy is Britain, the US, China, Russia and Israel - all of which have robot programmes of varying advancement.
Toby Walsh, a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of New South Wales, described the machines as "the next revolution in warfare".
Unlike current drones or bomb disposal robots, they will be capable of tracking and killing people at their own discretion - a prospect he finds "terrifying".
He said: "There's an arms race between the US, China, Russia, the UK and Israel - they're technologically the most developed countries."
One such creation was a 132ft-long warship currently being trialled by the US Navy that acts as a fully autonomous submarine hunter.
With no crew to feed, it can cruise across oceans non-stop for up to three months.
Another is a self-driving tank being tested by Vladimir Putin's military - which has the ability to select and kill anyone it deems an enemy.
"We will fairly soon have autonomous weapons that will target, track and kill without human involvement," Dr Porter said.
"That is what happens at the minute (but) there's still a human in the loop and from a military perspective, that's the weak link. It would be much better - from a military perspective - if that is removed."
One such robot currently in action is the Samsung SGR-1, an immobile device installed on South Korea's side of the DMZ.
Using heat and motion detectors to sense movement, it machine guns with deadly accuracy anything who steps within its two mile radius.
Currently, more than 80 countries use some form of robotics in their military, as do some insurgent groups such as Hezbollah.
Peter Singer, a pre-eminent expert in 21st century warfare, said these robotics are becoming more advanced, in both civilian life and war.
He told The Sun Online: "What was once science fiction is the new normal of war. They will come in more shapes, forms and sizes and take on more roles.
"Just as we are starting to see driverless cars, we will also see robotics in war become more autonomous, doing more and more on their own."
Although he was sceptical that wars would become entirely humanless, he warned a key battleground would be the "fight in the cyber domain".
"Both human and robotic systems are increasingly dependent on cyberspace for their communications, navigation, (and) coordination.
"Indeed, 98 percent of US military communications go over the internet. Whoever owns this space, or takes it away from others, would be at a huge advantage."
In his latest book, Ghost Fleet, he identified 21 different examples of autonomous robots being planned for battles in land, air and sea.
Noting that "US, China, Israel are among the leaders" of the arms race, he added all large UK military defence firms were also looking at robotics.
"It is parallel to other arms fields. US systems are more advanced, but more expensive than the Chinese."
This rapidly advancing technology has prompted warnings from many of the world's leading thinkers. Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking are among those to have recently called for controls on the technology.
Dr Porter has campaigned for similar measures, warning the killer machines will inevitably fall into the hands of groups such as ISIS.
"This is a technology that is advancing very rapidly and there's a bit of a race to get something out there," Dr Porter said.
He added: "It would be be very hard to take these semi-autonomous drones out of the US's toy box and tell them they can't play with them anymore.
"They will quickly become available on the black market and used by terrorists and used against civilians. Drones are not expensive, not compared to nuclear bombs."
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