Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century

"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." Isaac Asimov While reading an article by the pentagon correspondent of the Washington Times about new technologies, mention was made of the recently released book Wired for War The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century by P.W.Singer. This book is a study of technology and society from the present and into the future, so I thought it would be a worthwhile read. I was not disappointed. It is as profound as Brute Force by John Ellis. This is a very important book that should be read by scientists, engineers, and historians and in fact all citizens. It is very troubling and frightening. This book is in many ways a mirror image of The Social History of the Machine Gun by John Ellis. In Ellis's book resistance to technological change by the military is examined. "For them war was an act of will. Military memories and tradition had been formed in the pre-industrial age when the final bayonet or cavalry charge might be decisive. For them, in the last analysis, man was the master of the battlefield"(Ellis pg. 50). The officers refused to be a cog in the military machinery because in their eyes the machine gun made them replaceable. The movies Four Feathers and Beau Geste characterize the group very will indeed. In Wired for War the obverse is seen. The generals and admirals are highly enthusiastic proponents of technological advancements, in fact many times are seen pushing for more and more robotics. To compare the mind sets, imagine Paaschendale vs. the Terminator. Unless you are an IT or computer engineer you probably would be unfamiliar with many of the terms that represent the key stage of progress, ideas and principles in robotics and AI. In this book you are introduced to the technology and theory in a very understandable why. It presents the historic, societal and psychological implications of military robots and AI.To begin with, the word robot was first used by Czechoslovak writer Karel Capeck in his play Rossum's Universal Robots. Its origin was from the Czechoslovak word robota to describe the work a peasant owed the landlord. It also means drudgery. Other terms the reader becomes familiar with are; strong AI, when computers attain processing and storage of information billions or trillions faster than a human and become self aware and Singularity which is superhuman intelligence that leave the human out of the feedback loop and outside of the equation. The reader is also introduced to the major players, both individuals and production companies involved in military robots. The one individual who the author seems to quote the most is Ray Kurzweil. This person is unbelievably brilliant inventor who dwarfs Edison. He is the inventor of the automated college application program, the first print to speech machine, the first computer flatbed scanner, the electronic music synthesizer and predictor of the internet. He is also one of five members of the Army Science Board, where one of his tasks is simply to think of new weapons systems for future development. The author also gives detail analysis of General Atomic, iRobot and Foster Miller who are manufacturers of the Predator drone, PackBot robot and Swords robot respectively. There is considerable discussion about DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. I have learned from the book that this is a truly remarkable organization. It receives a massive amount of funding, much of it hidden like the CIA budget, but uses it very wisely and strategically. It awards contracts to universities and manufactures to conceive, develop, test and manufacture robotic and AI systems. It also has in house developmental teams. One of the most interesting facts was all inventors and researchers were science fictions readers at an early age and continue to this day. In fact many facilities have individuals who have a specific job of reading sci-fi novels to generated new ideas and use them as a matrix for future development. Singer has some very insightful analysis of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, such as "One side looks at war instrumentally, as a means to an end, while the other sees it metaphysically, placing great meaning on the very act of dying for a cause" (pg. 312) and "the rest of the world is learning that the only way to defeat America is to bleed her on both ends. The American public responds to casualties and to bleeding of the treasury, so if something goes on long enough they get tired"(pg. 313). The author has done very extensive interviews, not only of the High Command at DARPA, scientists, engineers and manufactures, but also the end users. Some of the most interesting vignettes were from the soldiers and marines using PackBot, Talon and Swords in combat. To the man they swear by the efficiency of robots in detecting IEDs, snipers, mortar positions and enemy combatants in house to house fighting. In fact soldiers may become emotionally attached to their robot like they would a pet dog. There is a parallel to soldiers in the care of robots. When the robot is "wounded" it is taken to a repair facility(called the robot hospital) which is close to the frontline and often in close proximity to the combat surgical station. When dealing with drones there is a dichotomy, with one group in the combat zone and another far removed. The Army controls many smaller drones from transportable cubicles which are part of command (divisional or battalion) headquarters. Their function is to observe the battlefield and have observational data downloaded to a computer and then onto a large plasma screen at division headquarters. This data can then be sent to hardened laptops in tactical units even down to squad level. There are also hand launched drones that are specifically used at company and platoon levels that download to squad laptops. This has lead to what "Marine general Charles Krulak called the rise of the `strategic corporal.' This idea was meant to describe how new technology put far more destructive power (and thus influence over strategic outcomes) into the hands of younger, more junior troops. A twenty year-old corporal could now call in airstrikes that a forty-year old colonel used to decide in the past. But these technologies are also producing something new, which I call the `tactical general.' While they are becoming more distanced from the battlefield, generals are becoming more involved in the real-time fighting of war"(pg. 349) This paradigm shift in warfare has lead to problems with information overload at divisional levels. DARPA has tried to address this by developing AI programs that will assist commanders in using all of the data in the most logical and strategic manner. This can lead to problems in the future which I will discuss later. One of the most interesting observations the book makes is the enthusiasm that the Marine Corps, Army and Navy had toward robotics and drones. The Air Force was very resistant. That is not to say that the Air Force eschewed advanced computer technology and AI research, but they fought very hard to mute drone development. In the mean time the other three forces forged ahead rapidly. As in The Social History of the Machine Gun the Air Force culture had too much investment into manned flight to be able to make the transition easily. It was only when their preeminence in control of the air space was threatened that they made the transition. During the early part of the war on terrorism the Army had more observational and tactical aircraft in the air than the Air Force. This is when they realized they were losing "market share". They quickly transitioned and are now flying the Predator and Global Hawk. What is truly amazing is these aircraft flying over Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are actually controlled in cubicles located in Nevada. The pilots leave home, fly drones for 12 hours, and then drive back home to see their families. This would be unimaginable 15 years ago. All of this research and development in robotic and AI has lead to a dilemma. Almost to the man, the scientists and engineers believe Singularity will occur within 40 years. "A machine takeover is generally imagined as following a path of evolution to revolution. Computers eventually develop to the equivalent of human intelligence (strong AI) and then rapidly push past any attempts at human control. Ray Kurzwiel explains how this would work. `As one strong AI immediately begets many strong AIs, the latter access their own design, understand and improve it, more intelligent AI, with the cycle repeating itself and thereby very rapidly evolve into a yet more capable, more intelligent AI, with the cycle repeating itself indefinitely. Each cycle not only creates more intelligent AI, but takes less time than the cycle before it as in the nature of technologicalevolution. The premise is that once strong AI is achieved, it will immediately become a runaway phenomenon of rapidly escalating super intelligence."(pg.416-417) This is very frightening indeed. Because of our continued advance in robotics and AI, the author ends with feeling that the U.S. will eventual be able to bring peace to the world before we step over the abyss of Singularity. I feel he has an unrealistic view of humanity. To quote Albert Einstein "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidly, and I'm not sure about the former."

I've been engaged in a reading project touching upon many aspects of robots and artificial people. After hearing Mr. Singer on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, I immediately ordered a copy of this book. Singer is more concerned to bring to light the many, many aspects of using robots and unmanned vehicles in war than in making final conclusions and policy recommendations, but given the relative unfamiliarity most people have with the way they are actually being employed NOW in conflict, this is just as well.It has to be stressed that this is not a book about how robots and unmanned weapons might possibly be used in war, though there is consideration of how it might develop further in the future. The book, rather, is concerned with how they are being used now, this very second, in Iraq and Afghanistan and Palestine and, through the use of the Global Hawk spy drones, all over the planet. Some of the individuals Singer interviewed speculate about how things might develop in the future, but for the most the book focuses on weapons systems actually in place and being used. The age of robotized war does not lie somewhere in the future, but has already started. I was vaguely aware that Predator drones were being used in combat, but I had no idea of precisely how many nor how many had been armed. There are thousands upon thousands of Predators, Global Hawks, Packbots, Ravens, CRAMs, Fire Scout helicopters, Swords, and Talons already in use in the Middle East, and the only reason there aren't more is because the companies -- like iRobot, which is perhaps better known for making the Roomba vacuum cleaner -- can't make them any faster. And this doesn't even include unmanned planes like the Boeing X-45, which performed better than the joint strike fighter currently under development as the military aircraft of the future, at a fraction of the past.Singer raises a host of issues in connection with these systems. Some of the book has a on-the-one-hand/on-the-other-hand as Singer continually shifts from the military and moral pros and cons of these systems and then impact they are having in transforming war. Do they lead to more moral warfare? Do they create more danger than they alleviate? What are the host of legal questions that surround robots in combat? If a CRAM -- an automated machine gun programmed to shoot down incoming missiles -- fails and starts shooting innocent people instead, is it a war crime? And if so, who is to be held to blame?The number of issues that Singer takes up is absolutely mind boggling. And frankly I wasn't quite sure what my own position on robots in war is after having read it. There are so many pros and cons that it is almost impossible to make a snap judgment. I think the book is absolutely essential reading for anyone wanting to stay up on what is happening in the world. There is absolutely no question that the use of robots and unmanned systems in combat is transforming war as we know it. One of Singer's most important services in writing the book is to highlight how the issues surrounding robots in warfare are simply not being seriously addressed. Our morals sometimes lag behind our technology. It is essential that our species begin to think seriously about the issues surrounding this advanced technology in military situations. O brave new world, that has such machines in it!I do want to quibble a bit. Singer makes a bit of a to do about the book being pop culturally savvy. Yet, the book contains several errors along those lines. Seeing a lot of out and out errors makes me nervous in reading a book. If the author has made boo-boos with things I know about, could he have made similar errors on things that I don't know about but on which I am accepting him as an authority? My guess is that the errors were on some inessential things. But let me note just a few.In a footnote on virtually the very first line in the book, Singer states that the word "frak" was first used in the early eighties by computer geeks and then later used in the Ron Moore and David Eick reimagining of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Well, BSG is one of my all time favorite show, and like many fans of the new version I find the original 1978 show to be not only unwatchable, but one of the worst shows in the history of TV. But you have to give it, and not early eighties computer geeks, credit for "frak." The word was initially adlibbed by Dirk Benedict (the male version of Starbuck). Most likely the computer geeks borrowed the word from the original BSG. Another error. Singer astonishingly credits the phrase, "Hell is other people," to Nietzsche. The origin of the famous phrase is, of course, from the end of Sartre's famous play, NO EXIT. Singer makes several references to Karel Èapek's R.U.R., in which the word "robot" was used for the first time, and speaks as if Èapek were the source for the word. It was, in fact, a coinage by his brother Josef, who freely lent it to Karel. On the back cover of the book Howard Gordon is listed as an Executive Producer of 24, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and THE X-FILES. He is indeed currently executive producer of 24, but I believe he was only a consulting producer on both BUFFY and THE X-FILES, an important distinction because he was fairly far down the pecking order on both of those series. There were a few other infelicities, but these give a hint of the pop cultural inaccuracy that flitters through the book. My hope is that there are not more substantial errors as well.

Singer has shown previously in  Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatilized Military Industry  that he can do an excellent job of analyzing military matters - not perhaps so much from the perspective of tactical warfighting but more from the view of broader trend analysis. 'Wired for War' follows in the same mold, this time looking at issues of unmanned combat systems.Be it UAVs (armed or unarmed), combat robots, or any other form of military platform without a human directly in control - and directly in the line of fire - he covers them all in terms of their implications, use and likely future trends.The book tackles moral as well as legal issues - for instance is a drone pilot fair game to be shot on the way back from the store in the US as a combatant or not - the issues of developers including civilian and military funding and their consequences, the adaptation of the opponents (i.e. reuse of US military robots by insurgents in Iraq) and many, many more.You will see a glimpse of the military of the future but at the same time get so much more. It is an impressive book, with a wealth of primary research having been conducted to create it.The scope also makes it appealing for more than just people with military interests (whether professional or as a hobby), as it tackles some fundamental issues of our near future. While not short, it is well written and structured and I can highly recommend it as reading material, if you are wondering what a revolution of military affairs might really mean for us. Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatilized Military Industry

With AI and Machine Learning rapidly advancing into technologies used for the security of countries - this is extremely well researched and riveting. An opening quote from "The Matrix" entices you to take the red pill and really understand what is evolving around you. That said you won't be disappointed. This is informal and has many perspectives of engineers, strategists, politics and even the geo-political landscape shift that is emerging.The scene is set for you in the first 170 pages with the next 300 pages seriously challenging you and your beliefs. If you are exploring Military History, Military Research and the consequences and benefits of Autonomy - THIS IS A MUST READ. Highly Recommended.

I bought this book as possible research for a dystopian Sci/fi I'm writing. It was sort of useful. I didn't read the whole book. Its a little dated now so its a matter of trying to put some of my own future thinking on to these actualities and ideas. But it gave me a good start. I haven't even looked at it in a while so hence the late finishing date.

I expected more from this book and was disappointed to find it was basically a collection of lecture notes put together in book form with no coherent narrative. The book has little information on the technical capability of the drones or their development.Also, I would expect a man writing on computers and artificial intelligence to know that Colossus was not used the break the enigma code. (Wikipedia has an good article on what Colossus was actually used for).

I got this recommended to me after reading stratergy strikes back.This book focuses on the developments of technology and covers a wide range of topics from AI to smart bombs (and roombas obviously)Great conversational way of writing that gets into the stories behind drones and whom is pioneering this path. Recommended