by William Davies and Rory Challands, published on Al Jazeera, February 23, 2023
The war in Ukraine has seen a proliferation of aerial drones for both surveillance and combat. The military advantages of these relatively cheap systems are obvious – especially for a force taking on a more conventionally powerful foe – and there is nothing so useful to a soldier as knowing what lies over a hill. But does the increasing sophistication of the technology point to a future in which artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons also become commonplace? And if that happens – what ethical questions might it raise? For People and Power, filmmakers William Davies and Rory Challands went to find out.