Winner of the 2019 William E. Colby Award "The book I had been waiting for. I can't recommend it highly enough." —Bill Gates
Winner of the 2019 William E. Colby Award "The book I had been waiting for. I can't recommend it highly enough." —Bill Gates
The era of autonomous weapons has arrived. Today around the globe, at least thirty nations have weapons that can search for and destroy enemy targets all on their own. Paul Scharre, a leading expert in next-generation warfare, describes these and other high tech weapons systems—from Israel’s Harpy drone to the American submarine-hunting robot ship Sea Hunter—and examines the legal and ethical issues surrounding their use. “A smart primer to what’s to come in warfare” (Bruce Schneier), Army of None engages military history, global policy, and cutting-edge science to explore the implications of giving weapons the freedom to make life and death decisions. A former soldier himself, Scharre argues that we must embrace technology where it can make war more precise and humane, but when the choice is life or death, there is no replacement for the human heart.
Winner of William E. Colby Award 2019
“"The era of autonomous weapons is upon us. In Army of None, Scharre combines his experience as a warrior and his insight as a policy researcher to paint a comprehensive picture of exactly what such an era will look like. He masterfully weaves together threads tying future weapon systems, artificial intelligence, and policy imperatives to deliver a book that is simply a must-read for anyone interested in military technology and its broader implications."”
"A tour de force of the future of war technology…A highly readable journey through the world of robots on the battlefield and beyond." -- P.W. Singer, author of Wired for War and Ghost Fleet
"One of the most interesting books on military affairs that I have read in some time." -- Thomas E. Ricks - New York Times Book Review
"A must-read for anyone interested in AI and the future of warfare." -- Task & Purpose
"An authoritative and sobering perspective on the automated battlefields that will very soon come to characterize military conflict." -- Science
"In this comprehensive analysis, Scharre moves beyond the clichés of 'killer robots.'" -- Lawrence D. Freeman - Foreign Affairs
"Army of None delivers what will likely be the most important general-audience book on this topic for at least the next decade." -- Lawfare
"A one-stop guide book to the debates, the challenges, and yes, the opportunities that can come from autonomous warfare." -- Techcrunch
"A sober, policy-focused primer on what is coming…written in an interesting and accessible manner." -- War on the Rocks
Paul Scharre is a former U.S. Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author of the award-winning study of autonomous weapons Army of None he is currently executive vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security. He lives in Virginia.
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