Discussion question

You work for Skynet Defense, a government contractor that has been tasked by the U.S. military to design a drone that can operate autonomously and attack the enemy without the assistance or intervention of military personnel. As part of the artificial intelligence development team, you are responsible for designing software that will enable the drone to learn over time, improving its ability to distinguish innocent civilians from enemy combatants. If successfully developed, this technology can ultimately save lives by putting less U.S. military personnel in harms way, minimize civilian casualties, and reduce the time needed to resolve an armed conflict. However, you are concerned about the unintended consequences and you want to be sure your team and your company makes the right decisions.

In your discussion, contemplate the above and address the following questions:

• Recall from your reading this week that there are two main software development methodologies – the waterfall development model and the agile development model. Which would you recommend for this project, and why? Consider which methodology provides a greater ability to identify risks and unintended consequences and can lead to more ethical decisions.
• What are some of the unintended consequences you can envision and what steps would you take to address those potential risks? Do you believe these risks call into question whether such technology should be pursued? Why or why not?
• Imagine that the main component of the software design is to teach the drone to recognize aggressive behavior, which will enable it to determine who the combatants vs. civilians are. What would you do if you found a flaw in the design that in rare instances could potentially lead the drone to view U.S. soldiers as the aggressor? Consider your obligation to customer needs and requirements, quality assurance, the project schedule, project costs, and ethical concerns.
• Your post must follow APA7 format and must include at least two sources (one from your assigned reading and one outside source) to support your positions or strengthen your arguments.