As robots become more and more advanced and artificial intelligence begins to sneak up on human intelligence, the discussion of intelligent “war machines” tends to break out more frequently and more fervently. It is a controversy, for sure. Is it ethical to have robots fight our wars for us? This feature article, written by John Markoff, begins at an Army combat training facility in Georgia where military engineers are remote-controlling the newest breed of intelligent war machines. Markoff uses this as a starting point to jump into the ongoing controversy—one that is growing more relevant with every day as advances in robotics are made all the time around the globe.
The lead, consisting of a short one-sentence paragraph and a longer second paragraph, is very effective: “War would be a lot safer, the Army says, if only more of it were fought by robots…New robots—none of them particularly human-looking—are being designed to handle a broader range of tasks, from picking off snipers to serving as indefatigable night sentries.” Markoff is capitalizing on a subject that is incredibly relevant to us and our lives: war and our place in it. As a result, the reader is engaged immediately from the first two paragraphs. It is also gripping because of the common fear that robots may “take over the world,” and so readers want to read on and learn more about the progress of the field thus far. And Markoff, objectively and clearly, gives them that background information they seek.
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