Technology is accelerating faster than ever before, impacting every area of life. This includes war, where drones, satellite capability, and cyberwarfare are changing everything.

The deployment of killer robot soldiers is also closer than ever. America is currently in an arms race to get AI killing machines on the battlefield.

AI is already being used in surgery, computing, infrastructure, and every other area. It’s already being used in the military, as well extensively, of course, in many systems.

Whereas the arms race to get AI installed effectively into actual physical killer robots is still in progress. The US is competing against adversaries like China and Russia on accomplishing this.

The new Netflix documentary UNKNOWN: Killer Robots is a closer look at this arms race and premiered on July 10.

Director Jesse Sweet notes whichever country can optimize AI into functional fighting units and get this side of war fully controlled will have a “huge advantage” in the future.

He also noted many people are vaguely aware of robotics and AI, but full awareness of how important this will be in the future is still “lagging” in the majority of people.

AI robots in the future will be flying F-16s and making complex decisions about who to kill and who to take prisoner. Robotic killing machines already exist, of course, and are already used on the battlefield.

Though AI-equipped killer robots will be the true wave of future war and this is what UNKNOWN is about. Imagine a soldier with a near-perfect aim, no fear, and flawless calculation of risk vs. reward odds in half a second.

This is not just a far-off idea, but a fast-approaching reality as AI continues to advance by the day and militaries around the world study how to put this into operation on the field.