Should military drones be allowed to decide who to kill?

One day, humans may be confronted with technology that allows robot armies to kill without the green light of human operators

American citizens hold a banner that reads, "Drones fly children die", during an anti-war rally in Pakistan on Oct. 5, 2012.
(Image credit: AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

America's drone program is widely seen as the weapon of choice for the Obama administration. In the president's first term alone, drones were used an estimated four times more than during the entirety of the Bush administration. Clearly, drones will continue to play a key role in the future of combat.

Currently, there's a human operator behind every machine, ensuring that someone can be held accountable for any misfires or civilian casualties. But what happens when technology advances to the point that humans are removed from the equation?

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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.