The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched a program to develop metrics for evaluating the ethical implications of autonomous weapon systems.
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Industry Partners for the ASIMOV Program
The agency said Thursday the Autonomy Standards and Ideals with Military Operational Values, or ASIMOV, program will objectively and quantitatively measure the ethical challenges and readiness of utilizing autonomous systems for military operations. The program aims to provide the developmental testing/operational testing community with a way to evaluate these autonomous systems.
DARPA selected seven organizations to perform research on the subject, particularly on different theoretical frameworks, quantifiability, safety and assurance. The agency awarded contracts to CoVar, Kitware, Lockheed Martin, RTX Technology Research Center, SAAB, Inc., Systems & Technology Research and the University of New South Wales.
The research performers are tasked with creating prototype generative modeling environments to assess ethical scenarios. This is intended to define the benchmark for future evaluations of autonomous systems.
The program is named after the late Isaac Asimov, an author known for the “Three Laws of Robotics,” which is the inspiration behind the initiative. Asimov tackled the idea of autonomous systems’ ability to follow human ethical norms.
Ethical, Legal and Societal Implications
The ASIMOV program will form an advisory group composed of stakeholders that will ensure that ethical, legal, and societal implications, or ELSI, are considered when dealing with autonomous systems and other innovations.
DARPA will also make the program public so the community can provide insight into the issue. This includes enabling others to test and use future tools and technologies.
“ASIMOV is tackling a tremendously complex problem with an infinite set of variables,” said Timothy Klausutis, Strategic Technology Office program manager at DARPA. “We don’t have any illusions we’ll figure everything out we want to in the initial stages of this program, but the stakes are too high not to try everything we can.”