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Explained in plain English

What are autonomous weapons?

Autonomous weapons are systems that can select and engage targets without human intervention. Anthropic's warning about AI resisting shutdown highlights a key concern: if advanced AI is integrated into weapons, the ability to control them becomes critical. The fear is they could make decisions with catastrophic consequences.

Stories that explain this

Anthropic warns AI may pose 'existential risks to humanity' in IPO filing

Questions this opens up

Who is developing autonomous weapons? Are autonomous weapons legal? What are 'killer robots'?

Related explainers

What are AI's other risks? How could AI spread misinformation? Why build risky AI then? Who is tackling AI risk? Why warn about your own AI? What is 'autonomous'? What is 'autonomous driving'? What is an autonomous drone?

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