Military robots do worse if people don’t stop interrupting them

By David Hambling

The US military is experimenting with different types of robots, including this Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype

Technology. Sgt. Cory D. Payne / US Air Force

When soldiers work with robots, the human need to meddle can negate the benefits of robotic assistance, a new U.S. military project has found. Keeping military artificial intelligence running without human oversight, however, raises worrying ethical questions.

The System-of-Systems Enhanced Small Unit (SESU) project envisages a team of around 200 to 300 soldiers equipped with swarms of small drones and robotic ground vehicles. The lightly armed unit would fight in zones where the enemy …