Peter Singer argues that the use of armed robots in war is being perceived as a 'costless' alternative to other military means and that this perception could undermine democracy by precluding political debate over military actions.

A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.

Eventually, the United States will face a military adversary or terrorist group armed with drones, military analysts say. But what the short-run hazard experts foresee is not an attack on the United States, which faces no enemies with significant combat drone capabilities, but the political and legal challenges posed when another country follows the American example.

A recent, successful exercise in autonomous robotics, where one robot was able to identify and target another robot could presage the future of the American way of war: a day when drones hunt, identify and kill the enemy based on calculations made by software, not decisions made by humans.

The author looks at the implications of warfare as states and non-state actors continue to move in opposite directions in the delivery of firepower, with states pursuing unmanned robots and non-state actors using suicide terrorists.

After thousands of years of intra-species fighting we may have to face the possibility that with the advent of military robots, the institution of war may no longer need us

U.S. military successes with drones have changed strategic thinking worldwide and spurred a global rush for unmanned aircraft. More than 50 countries have purchased surveillance drones, and many have started in-country development programs for armed versions because no nation is exporting weaponized drones beyond a handful of sales between the United States and its closest allies.

The author argues that when it comes to military robots, making them less human-like in appearance is necessary to prevent their human operators from distancing themselves from the robot and their ultimate responsibility.

Unmanned ground systems on the battlefield provide critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data and help counter improvised explosive devices. Now, ground robots are positioned to expand into armed missions in Afghanistan.

The author reports back from an interdisciplinary expert workshop on robotic weaponry and the challenge of developing international legal standards to regulate unmanned weapon systems.