--- title: "Pentagon: Stop Asking Questions About Our “Killer Robots,” Which Don’t Exist by the Way" description: "The Pentagon's t-shirt saying not to worry about their \"killer robots\" is raising a lot of questions answered by their t-shirt, it seems." date: "2022-05-27" modified: "2022-05-27" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/pentagon-questions-killer-robots" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "autonomous robots" - "killer robots" - "the digest" --- # Pentagon: Stop Asking Questions About Our “Killer Robots,” Which Don’t Exist by the Way ![The Pentagon's t-shirt saying not to worry about their "killer robots" is raising a lot of questions answered by their t-shirt, it seems.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Killing Commentary The Pentagon is selling a t-shirt that says not to worry about their "killer robots" — which raises a lot of questions arguably answered by their t-shirt, it seems. During [a recent ]()[event]() organized by the Atlantic Council, an international relations think tank in Washington, DC, Marine lieutenant general and artificial intelligence head honcho Michael Groen said that although the military's killer robots are by far the most exciting thing the Pentagon's AI team is focusing its efforts on, it's not the only thing they're working on. "Inside the department, clearly there’s a question about what is AI for," said Groen, head of the Pentagon's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, during the May 25 event. "And, although there are conversations about killer robots and all the rest, I think the reality is much more mundane." As [*Breaking Defense* notes](), the US military doesn't have any weapons that would be considered "autonomous" — or at least, not the kind of "Robocop"-esque killer robots that can select and shoot at targets without humans in control. But according to the report, the Defense Department is developing new rules that may change that, a rather terrifying change in tone. ## Hearts and Minds During the Atlantic Council event, Groen used a lot of jargon about AI-driven "business environments," and "data domains" and "implementation" in his speech, but a statement he made about paradigms shifting is almost as telling as the offhanded comment about autonomous killing machines. "We believe that a lot of the rules have to change," he said, "a lot of the thought processes have been rendered obsolete, and, maybe, the cores of how our organizational processes work have to be reevaluated through the lens of artificial intelligence and data." While he's most likely discussing the concept of changing the [Luddite mindsets of many in the Pentagon](), the military has been weighing regulations or even an outright ban on killer robots. Though in late 2021, US officials [quietly put the kibosh]() on new autonomous robot rules for now. Groen is, [as *DefenseNews* notes](), going to retire soon — and there's no telling what his replacement will think or want to do with the killer robots that may end up defining the next generation of US military tech. **READ MORE:** [AI less about ‘killer robots,’ more about Pentagon transformation, Groen says]() \[*C4ISRNET*\] **More on American killer robots:** [*US Military Horrified by Chinese Military Spending Money on Exact Same Crap They Do*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()