Fully autonomous 'killer robots' could be here within a YEAR, claims expert

Killer robots could be on battlefields within a year if the UN fails to arrange an international treaty limiting their development. That's the claim of Professor Noel Sharkey, who says early wartime machines could cause mass deaths and they will not be able to tell the difference between enemies and civilians. His comments come as 120 United Nations member states meet this week at the Palais des Nations complex in Geneva to continue talks on the future challenges posed by lethal autonomous weapons system. Dr Noel Sharkey (right) is pictured here with Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams (left) campaigning for a ban on fully autonomous weapons. He believes an international treaty banning them is'vitally important' at a UN conference in Geneva this week Dr Noel Sharkey, a Professor of AI and Robotics as well as a Professor of Public Engagement at the University of Sheffield, told MailOnline that an international treaty banning the use of fully autonomous killer robots is'vitally important'.