Wired for War

The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century

By: P. W. Singer

Narrated by: William Hughes

Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

A military expert reveals how science fiction is fast becoming reality on the battlefield, changing not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics, laws, and ethics that surround war itself.

Singer’s previous books foretold the rise of private military contractors and the advent of child soldiers - predictions that have proved all too accurate. Now he explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bomb: robotic warfare.

We are now seeing a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make the stuff of I, Robot and The Terminator a reality. Over seven thousand robotic systems are now in Iraq; pilots in Nevada are remotely killing terrorists in Afghanistan; scientists are debating just how smart - and lethal - to make their current prototypes; and many renowned science fiction authors are secretly consulting for the Pentagon.

Blending historic evidence with interviews from the field, Singer vividly shows that as these technologies multiply, they will have profound effects on both the front lines and the politics back home. Replacing men with machines may save some lives but will lower morale and psychological barriers to killing. The “warrior ethos,” which has long defined soldiers’ identity, will erode, as will the laws of war that have governed military conflict for generations.

Paradoxically, the new technology will also bring war to our doorstep. As other nations and terrorist organizations obtain their own robotic weapons, the robot revolution could undermine America’s military preeminence. While his analysis is unnerving, there’s an irresistible gee-whiz quality to the innovations Singer uncovers.

©2009 P. W. Singer (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“This book is awesome.” (Jon Stewart, The Daily Show)

“P. W. Singer has written what is likely to be the definitive work on this subject for some time…It is riveting and comprehensive, encompassing every aspect of the rise of military robotics, from the historical to the ethical.” ( Financial Times)

“Robotics promises to be the most comprehensive instrument of change in war since the introduction of gunpowder.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Techno-Sprawl: A Dissenting Opinion

I might have given this work four stars, if others hadn't. The author has done an enormous amount of valuable reporting and brought together a big picture of many critical technical issues affecting the future of war, focusing mainly but not exclusively on robotics. I share his pessimism about the trends, and appreciate his willingness to examine the moral issues from many different sides. His description of the "cubicle warriors" who now operated our growing drone fleets is very eye-opening. However, the book sprawls. Many sections might have been better at half the length. Some begin to sound like a laundry list of projects, machines, and acronyms. Themes repeat or overlap. No merciless editor sat at his elbow. For example, his analysis of how information technology allows generals to micromanage tactics at a distance is very interesting. But we get it. The section goes on, largely repeating the same idea and the word "micromanage" in various ways, while adding little. More seriously, I felt there was a missing level of analysis, though knowing little about the topic, I'm not sure what it is. There is, for example, little or nothing about the early use of computers and cybernetics, which become necessary for antiaircraft tracking. And little about the revolutionary effects of cell phones and laptops on guerilla war. Or on cyberwar, though that is perhaps a separate topic. The author is a war historian and journalist, and does not seem to be developing his ideas out of any underlying theory of technology or science. (American historians and journalists are largely trained to eschew "big theory.") I am not sure that he even clearly defines information theory, AI, and robotics as subsets of technology. One of the interesting scientific asides that never really goes anywhere is the battery as weak link, something every laptop user knows. He mentions it in the context of the Iraq War, but then does not really develop the implications. His coverage of media and "interface" technologies is weak. You can't do everything. But if human beings have a role in our new data-driven world, it really ought to be to reduce bins of information through critical abstraction, we need a few less colorful factoids and a little more theory.

Target Audience Acquired

This book is remarkably comprehensive, yet manages to stay fresh and compelling. The author makes every attempt to capture realistic snapshots of today's modern military and then speculates a bit into the future. The author makes a rather impressive effort to sort out all the issues that you and I don???t have any time to sort out yet ourselves. You will be impressed by what is already out there. You'll be captivated by the new frontiers for tech . You'll realize how much you didn't know. The author shares all that he found in his epic project. The only drawback to the book is that it???s difficult to walk away from it having any sense of finality about it. Perhaps the book suffers only from the same paradox it uncovers???.that the jury is still out???.that all this great technological power has yet to be made into a coherent part of our civilization.

Good book of fact sprinkled with left-wing opinion

Mr. Singer’s Wired for War is a great book, but was clearly written from a far left-wing point of view. He goes out of his way to demine Bush, pro-lifers, and people with a conservative leaning point of view. It is unnecessary and off putting. He also has the view that we must make our enemy’s like and respect us. He did very good work and thorough research. Too bad he feels the need to needle half of the population while he did it.

Very Comprehensive

Comprehensive enlightenment of the robotic, unmanned age of military weaponry. What is especially interesting is after this book I read Skunkworks, a book composed by Lockheed Martin executives in the 1990s & the end of this book they made projections about the future of the military from their 1990 eyes; you guessed it, unmanned vehicles, unmanned jets, etc.
The danger however of an overweighted robotics military are 1 radio frequency bomb could render an entire fleet of robotic weaponry useless & these robotics also are at risk of becoming hacked & used against friendlys. Very necessary, but a strong military should have many contingencies in place for the worst case scenarios.

More and better than I bargained for

Working for a robotic-oriented firm, and with peers moving into other robotic fields, I wanted to get at least a sense of the military aspect of robotics. Singer, however, gave me exactly what I wanted and so much more. The book is a history of robotics, technology in warfare, and military robotics. But it also delves into the legal, moral, and cultural issues around robotics and robotic warfare, and reveals the very real ties between the military and modern science fiction. The book is a view into our modern world, and into our future, in a surprising and compelling way. I was surprised by how avidly I wanted to listen to this book. I know I will listen again.

Interesting but scope is too deep

This was an interesting read, but the book is extremely long and covers too many topics. I remember at one point the author talks about world hunger, which makes me question the true takeaway from the reading. Also, technology has evolved so much since 2010, so the book is very dated.

Too dated

An intelligent, well written analysis, but painfully out of date. I wish the author would write a revised edition. This work is too dated for me to devote the time to listen to the end.

Autonomous Robots

This is a really great look at potential dilemmas with future implementation of unmanned systems in combat and thought society. The author does a good job in discussing potential positive and negative outcomes in robotics in daily life.

Little dates but still good

Some of the technological terms brought up in the book are dated but otherwise a good thorough look at the ethics and implementations of new technologies

interesting

wired for war is a week rounded book that sells be only to chronicle the advent if robot warfare but to ascertain the morals of their use.