It bills itself as the largest gathering of police chiefs in the United States, where leaders from many of the country's 18,000 police departments and even some from abroad convene for product demos, discussions, parties, and awards. I went along to see how artificial intelligence was being discussed, and the message to police chiefs seemed crystal clear: If your department is slow to adopt AI, fix that now. The future of policing will rely on it in all its forms. In the event's expo hall, the vendors (of which there were more than 600) offered a glimpse into the ballooning industry of police-tech suppliers. Some had little to do with AI--booths showcased body armor, rifles, and prototypes of police-branded Cybertrucks, and others displayed new types of gloves promising to protect officers from needles during searches. But one needed only to look to where the largest crowds gathered to understand that AI was the major draw.

Killer robots are a'grave threat to humanity' and should be banned, the world's largest gathering of scientists was told. As yet, robot soldiers and security guards armed with lethal weapons are largely science fiction concepts. But advances in artificial intelligence mean it is only a matter of time before robots with the power to select and attack targets without human input become widespread. Killer robots, similar to the Terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured), are a'grave threat to humanity' and should be banned, the world's largest gathering of scientists was told (stock image) Scientists and human rights campaigners told the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Washington DC lethal droids able to select targets without human help represent the'third revolution' in warfare after gun powder and nuclear weapons. Just as international agreements greatly restricted the use of landmines, similar international agreements should be used to prevent robotic killers becoming established.