Robotic Argumentative Analysis

Technological innovation—at least in consumer culture—often pairs with entertainment platforms. Smartphones, tablets, and even watches have been creating a tech reliant culture. While creative mediums have expressed caution for technology, the present day has embraced constant evolution. The main reason for the adoption of technology has been the maintenance of human control. Once human control is taken away, questions of ethics arise. Robotics has slowly evolved into the battlefield with machines like drones and UAVs leading the way. While intimidating, the inclusion of robots in warfare seems to be a natural evolution. With human oversight, advancements in robotics serve to bring a new dimension of defense. In We Should Not Ban ‘Killer Robots,’ and Here’s Why by Evan Ackerman and “War Machines: Recruiting Robots for Combat” by John Markoff, the authors discuss the evolution of robotics in warfare. Among the arguments, both talk of their implementation going forward.
Generally, the adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence becomes tainted when thinking of the negative stigma. Those opposed to the implementation of robots hypothesize, “some sort of arms race that will lead to the rapid advancement and propagation of things like autonomous “armed quadcopters,” eventually resulting in technology that’s accessible to anyone if they want to build a weaponized drone” (Cite). In other words, the adoption of autonomous technology would cause concern due to the ease of creation. While not being misguided, the argument depicts the national climate as a technological wild west. With the internet age, the spread of information becomes an inevitability. When given accessible information, one becomes inclined to utilize the knowledge. Rather than pushing away technological evolution, results could instead be found in the adoption of emerging