Robot soldiers could soon make up a quarter of the army

In the age of artificial intelligence, robots will soon represent a large part of the armed forces, according to the UK's chief of the defence staff Nick Carter, who predicted that up to a quarter of the army could be made up of autonomous systems in the near future. Speaking on Sky News for Remembrance Day, the general speculated that as cyber and space join the more traditional army domains of land, air, and maritime, so will AI systems become an integral part of the armed forces' modernization effort. Carter warned that decisions haven't been taken yet, and insisted that his predictions were not based on firm targets. He nevertheless shared his visions for an armed force that is "designed for the 2030s". SEE: An IT pro's guide to robotic process automation (free PDF) (TechRepublic) "You'll see armed forces that are designed to do (cyber and space). And I think it absolutely means we'll have all manner of different people employed because those domains require different skill sets, and we will absolutely avail ourselves with autonomous platforms and robotics wherever we can," said Carter.