Future Tense Fiction: When Robots Go to War

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Arts, Tv & Film, Music

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2023

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this month’s episode of Future Tense Fiction, host Maddie Stone talks to Justina Ireland about her short story “Collateral Damage.” The story follows a group of soldiers deployed alongside TED, the Army’s first self-aware combat drone. TED is relentlessly efficient, quickly outpacing its human counterparts—and leaving them worried for their jobs. But when a wrong call from the clunky robot puts soldiers’ lives at risk, they realize just how hard it is to program for battlefield experience. After the story, Ireland shares how her own time in the military shapes her writing, and why tech dreamed up in D.C. rarely reflects the needs of soldiers on the ground. Guest: Justina Ireland, a veteran and author of books including Dread Nation, Deathless Divide, and Ophie’s Ghosts Story read by Joanne Lichtenstein Podcast production by Tiara Darnell Check out AWS Insiders here: https://link.chtbl.com/awsinsiders?sid=podcast.futuretensefiction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Future10Spiction, a podcast featuring stories about how technology could change tomorrow.
0:08.2	I'm Maddy Stone.
0:11.3	Technology is essential to modern warfare and is often deployed in combat with the goal
0:15.8	of keeping troops safer.
0:18.0	So, when a billion dollar combat drone joins a squad, the soldiers should welcome the help.
0:24.4	Right?
0:25.4	No matter how much I tell myself it's fine, I have the feeling that this bot is really,
0:32.6	really bad news.
0:35.7	On today's episode of Future10Spiction, we are bringing you a reading of Justina Ireland's
0:40.6	story, Collateral Damage.
0:42.9	As a veteran herself, Justina knows firsthand how pricey military tech can wind up failing
0:48.8	those who serve.
0:49.8	I don't necessarily think that everything that is given to a soldier is really there to
0:54.3	help a soldier.
0:55.3	I think sometimes it's just we put money into a program and that's where it is.
1:00.2	That's all coming up on Future10Spiction.
1:03.1	Stay with us.
1:08.3	This episode is brought to you by Nike.
1:11.0	It's packed to school season, and you and your child might be feeling a bit anxious.
1:15.8	As a parent, you're the best teammate for your mini-me, and together you can use sport
1:20.1	to help overcome anxiety.
1:22.5	Find something new as a family, and celebrate even the little wins you achieve on the journey.
	...

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