Shaw, I. G.R. (2017) Robot Wars: US Empire and geopolitics in the robotic age. Security Dialogue, 48(5), pp. 451-470. (doi: 10.1177/0967010617713157)
|
Text
140332.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. 727kB |
Abstract
How will the robot age transform warfare? What geopolitical futures are being imagined by the US military? This article constructs a robotic futurology to examine these crucial questions. Its central concern is how robots – driven by leaps in artificial intelligence and swarming – are rewiring the spaces and logics of US empire, warfare, and geopolitics. The article begins by building a more-than-human geopolitics to de-center the role of humans in conflict and foreground a worldly understanding of robots. The article then analyzes the idea of US empire, before speculating upon how and why robots are materializing new forms of proxy war. A three-part examination of the shifting spaces of US empire then follows: (1) Swarm Wars explores the implications of miniaturized drone swarming; (2) Roboworld investigates how robots are changing US military basing strategy and producing new topological spaces of violence; and (3) The Autogenic Battle-Site reveals how autonomous robots will produce emergent, technologically event-ful sites of security and violence – revolutionizing the battlespace. The conclusion reflects on the rise of a robotic US empire and its consequences for democracy.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Shaw, Dr Ian |
| Authors: | Shaw, I. G.R. |
| College/School: | College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences |
| Journal Name: | Security Dialogue |
| Publisher: | SAGE |
| ISSN: | 0967-0106 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1460-3640 |
| Published Online: | 31 August 2017 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2017 The Author |
| First Published: | First published in Security Dialogue 48(5):451-470 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record
Altmetric
Altmetric