I'm just hoping people and nations might come to their senses. People smarter than me need to figure out how. I'm not going to say that "it is not possible" however, that would be assuming way too much.
>> Unfortunately, both defensive and offensive drones might be hacked to attack their masters.
That's an argument FOR greater local autonomy by the robot, rather than less. A bot that gets to decide for itself whether somebody is a friend, target, or neutral 3rd party doesn't need to be phoning home constantly, at risk of interception.
Availability of drones is entirely dependent on access to supply chains for the materials and products that go into those drones. There are some limits here, at least until we're mining the asteroid belt.
I'm not a geopolitical expert, but I'd imagine the main dynamic at play here is:
1) The US has strong influence in China's sphere of influence and doesn't want to give it up.
2) China wants to drive the American influence away from its borders and shipping lanes. They believe that very well could be possible in the coming years.
3) If you're China, you don't want to sign a weapons ban that benefits the incumbent.
4) If you're the US, you're not going to stop AI weapons research unless China does too.
I'm just hoping people and nations might come to their senses. People smarter than me need to figure out how. I'm not going to say that "it is not possible" however, that would be assuming way too much.