"As documentaries go, I think Unknown: Killer Robots is a great one. It’s got a good pace, it’s detailed, not too interview heavy, and you see plenty of robots."
BY ROMEY NORTON JULY 11, 2023
Are you ready for the Robot Revolution? Unknown: Killer Robots is part of the Unknown Series on Netflix, and is directed by Jesse Sweet. This documentary takes a serious look at artificial intelligence in military applications. With behind-the-scenes footage, audiences can follow military-funded scientists, who are racing to build the technology, whilst ethicists are trying to awaken the world to its terrifying apocalyptic potential. Basically, we now have technology on the battlefield who can kill autonomously, and we need to discuss the ethical and moral implications of this.
AI (Artificial intelligence - a non-human intelligence) is a very hot topic at the moment, amongst pretty much everyone in every industry. It’s like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it. Unfortunately/fortunately, it’s becoming imperative that we’re going to have to learn to embrace it, as it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Opening to a montage of robots, from drones, to one's looking and acting like small pets, we’re introduced to the awe-inspiring potentials of AI. They should be able to give medicines, alleviate poverty, clean our oceans, but there are so many risks involved. Humans are still creating regulations around how and when it should be used, safely. When it comes to Warfare, should we allow algorithms to make decisions on taking human lives?
We follow a drone as it explores a space, and the data it can provide is explained and why this is important. This is the AI pilot that is currently being developed.
In this documentary you learn about modern warfare, and why they’re wanting to introduce more AI and what objectives they’re trying to achieve. There are parts that appear incredible, and an enhancement. Then I sink into my chair thinking, this is promoting war. This is investing in war, which essentially is investing in people's suffering and death.
This documentary asks and tries to answer big questions surrounding AI, such as: Is it reliable? Can it cope with the complexities of the real world? How do we control this technology? And will help shape your opinions, without being too biassed towards AI. A lot of the professionals interviewed share their fears about what can happen, and what will happen, which is scary but fascinating. They mention the Ukraine war, and the use of drones, which is a brutal reality to reference.
As documentaries go, I think Unknown: Killer Robots is a great one. It’s got a good pace, it’s detailed, not too interview heavy, and you see plenty of robots. There is a fairly equal balance to show both the positives and negatives of AI use in the future. Lets just hope it doesn’t get in the wrong hands. The runtime of one hour and eight minutes flew by when watching, so I recommend investing in watching this documentary, especially if you are interested in AI.
STAR RATING
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