Robots in combat

[bromdenlong]

It has a whole lot more to do with AI and free will being TL16+... See Bk8.

I wrote that the robots were"FAIRLY DUMB". They would obviously have brains with TLs lower than 16+, and hence would lack free will according to canon...

I mentioned the telekinetic switch-flipping to make it clear that the robots could ACT more intelligent than they WERE, without the danger of rebellion that truly intelligent AI imposes.

 

[aramis]

I wrote that the robots were"FAIRLY DUMB". They would obviously have brains with TLs lower than 16+, and hence would lack free will according to canon...

I mentioned the telekinetic switch-flipping to make it clear that the robots could ACT more intelligent than they WERE, without the danger of rebellion that truly intelligent AI imposes.

Given that the Zhodani are TL14 max, there's no threat of an AI rebellion ANYWAY.

 

[Kaeto]

I'll take my Self-Aware AI Tanks armed with multiple Fusion Plasma guns in the 200 cm range.

 

[BlackBat242]

RML-1138

And

Siegfried O'Harrigan.

 

[Kaeto]

RML-1138

And

Siegfried O'Harrigan.

Then there was the rapist who while hiding in the wilderness heard that they had joined the search for him and promptly surrendered.


"Forward The Dinocrome Brigade!"

 

[iron warrior]

I think we need to distinguish between robots and drones. A drone is what we use today, a remotely operated vehicle that doesn't actually make decisions but is simply operated by a person.

A robot would have some sort of autonomous function and operate without constant direction from someone. An example might be the sentry guns in the uncut "Aliens", where the guns tracked and fired on their own once placed and activated.

The simplest military robot might could be the land mine. You place it, activate it and it operates on it's own. Very limited functionality, but it operates on it's own.

The infamous predator drones aren't robots, they're remote controlled vehicles for the most part.

There's a big difference between having a machine kill under the direct control of a person and having it kill on it's own. You need to make that distinction in this case.

 

[sabredog]

Drones can be constructed with Striker (and are referenced in Mercenary) that are fully autonomous. The cheaper ones are at least semi-autonomous so they can be released on their own if the operator desires.

There really isn't any distinction between drones vs. robots; its just a matter of semantic choice. Drones are robots and vice versa - especially at higher tech levels. Some robots are remotely controlled and some drones are fully independent.

 

[mike wightman]

A slight aside (and a bit tongue in cheek) - I think it is Imperial prejudice that says they don't have AIs until TLs beyond their current F.

MT timeline specifically states that the Terran military during the late Intersellar Wars period had AI aids. So the Terrans considered their TL12 robots as AIs.

Also consider what is actually written in LBB8 Robots:

'The reliability of primitive(non-creative) 1, making the way for widespread introduction of primitive artificially intelligent robots at tech 12'

which ties in with the MT timeline nicely.

 

[sabredog]

I think its not so tongue-in-cheek at that. The Imperials have a lot of restrictions on robotic development and seem awfully worried about them becoming independent. Possibly because of that Vilani thing over artificial life and Zhodani warbots?

But, if you can upload a person's personality into a robot high autonomous brain so you "converse with them as if the dead person was alive" then I'd say you have a pretty strong argument for artificial life having been created there. But those pesky Imperial prejudices and superstitions will prevail against the local robotics builder making anything more useful or advanced than a better than average expert system in a fancy case.

 

[iron warrior]

Would they still use the turing test in Traveller?

 

[sabredog]

Dunno about the OTU, but IMTU they do. IMTU (and IMHO) "high autonomous" is essentially IA without a lot of personality. But the reference to loading a personality into the robot fixes that.

As for creativity, well, what if the personality was that of a dead artist?

 

[iron warrior]

Drones can be constructed with Striker (and are referenced in Mercenary) that are fully autonomous. The cheaper ones are at least semi-autonomous so they can be released on their own if the operator desires.

There really isn't any distinction between drones vs. robots; its just a matter of semantic choice. Drones are robots and vice versa - especially at higher tech levels. Some robots are remotely controlled and some drones are fully independent.

Well, in a game I was running, a drone would be remote controlled by a sophont. A robot would be autonomous in significant ways.