I am always amazed at the extent to which technology has improved, especially with the use of drones to fight wars and other equipment that can be sent from afar to attack an opponent without humans getting involved on the battlefield. I like the idea a lot!
But what does this say about our existence on planet Earth?
As much as there will be no loss of soldiers’ lives because they will not physically go to the battlefield, the destruction will affect civilians even more, because wars will become endless and the devastation will be massive. What do I mean?
If nations can use drones, robots, and other technological means to engage in war without deploying soldiers, then war will become a display of technological superiority. It will be a type of war where the destruction of civilian lives and properties is used as a scorecard to measure who is winning.
Hold on,
If robots were to be employed to invade a nation or a city to fight wars, robots are merely technological gadgets. They will not be able to completely detect who is human and who is not, and they may slaughter anything that comes their way, including humans running for their lives and not necessarily opposing soldiers or robots. The same applies to the use of drones and missiles sent from one country to another. The rate of winning such wars will be based on the magnitude of destruction of lives and properties, not necessarily on defeating enemy soldiers.
With this, wars will continue endlessly, with constant competition over who destroys more. After all, no soldiers are being sent to the battlefield. Yes, the nation or side that is losing will simply go back, re-equip, and fire again to combat the situation instead of surrendering. A side can only surrender when it runs out of resources, not soldiers. But before engaging in such a war, they must already be heavily equipped to fight for a long period.
In a situation where humans (soldiers) are used instead, once a side begins to run out of manpower, they start listening to advice about engaging in dialogue to stop the war. It is quite ironic when you think about it.
The use of robots and AI in warfare seems very beneficial, especially considering that soldiers’ lives would be preserved. However, this will also drastically reduce employment opportunities in the military, which could shake the economy in the long run. In a country like mine, being enrolled in the armed forces means being under government employment, and the pay is relatively stable, although it depends on rank and level. This is why, in some cases, parents encourage their children to enlist as a way to ease financial difficulties in the family.
But when technology finally takes over, there will no longer be a need for mass recruitment. The only people who will be allowed into the armed forces will be those with the required technical intelligence and expertise.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Week 200, Edition 02 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community
