Is it the drones or the policy that is the problem?

[TheKentuckian]

25. Both for me. I find the policies more pressing but both are terribly dangerous

The drones are just a a tool logic doesn't mesh to me in no small part because of the arguments in their favor like protecting American lives, cost efficiency, saving us from engaging troops in ground battles, families are not divided and asked to sacrifice, and yes even the relative cleanness of the attacks.

All that makes war safe, cheap, easy to proliferate, bloodless, and the real nitty gritty decisions to kill in too few and ever fewer hands. When AI is combined with drones and mechs on the ground then the loop will be tiny of those who can say no or at least no more.

War is supposed to have real costs, it is supposed to be disruptive and inconvenient, war is supposed to send home broken minds and bodies. War is supposed to leave a mark on souls and conflicts to conscience. War is supposed to demand sacrifice from populations. When terrible crimes are committed there are supposed to be human minds that can say no and tell the truth. There is supposed to be risk, if there is no risk there are little in the way of costs then wars of literal whimsy are available to us.

Drones make perpetual war more plausible, autonomous battle droids all but guarantee it. It is not my goal to make it easier, cheaper, less painful, and sanitized. Wars should have human constraints and skin should be in the game, no skin means it is too damn easy to say yes and keep saying yes and more please.

I also understand that genies don't so easily go back into bottles, we allow proliferation and advancement of this shit and there will be a day that such things are abused, it won't be a damn thing to be done. Never agree to make your long adds zero while removing legal and logistical limits on power. Concentration of power comes with serious risks, the circle of deciders becomes too small and the costs become too easy to hide.