This week we look at developments prompted by the war in Ukraine, which has seen the humble drone take a leading role on the frontline. Both sides, and global powers watching on with interest, are now investing in building battle drones which can fly and attack themselves, leading to the chilling possibility that future wars will see autonomous AI drones deciding who is an enemy to attack or a civilian to defend. Should Christians be joining the chorus of alarmed scientists and activists arguing a machine should never be given the power of taking another life without a human in the loop somewhere?
But first, we look at fresh research which reveals the staggering growth of frozen surplus embryos – created during IVF procedures – being stored in the UK. Each year tens of thousands more embryos are created and frozen indefinitely than are actually thawed out and implanted. Nobody seems to know what their moral status is and what should happen when, eventually, we cannot keep on freezing and storing them. Is embryo adoption the answer?
In each episode of Matters of Life and Death, brought to you by Premier Unbelievable?, John Wyatt and his son Tim discuss issues in healthcare, ethics, technology, science, faith and more. John is a doctor, professor of ethics, and writer and speaker on many of these topics, while Tim is a religion and social affairs journalist. We talk about how Christians can better engage with a particular question of life, death or something else in between.
This week we look at developments prompted by the war in Ukraine, which has seen the humble drone take a leading role on the frontline. Both sides, and global powers watching on with interest, are now investing in building battle drones which can fly and attack themselves, leading to the chilling possibility that future wars will see autonomous AI drones deciding who is an enemy to attack or a civilian to defend. Should Christians be joining the chorus of alarmed scientists and activists arguing a machine should never be given the power of taking another life without a human in the loop somewhere?
But first, we look at fresh research which reveals the staggering growth of frozen surplus embryos – created during IVF procedures – being stored in the UK. Each year tens of thousands more embryos are created and frozen indefinitely than are actually thawed out and implanted. Nobody seems to know what their moral status is and what should happen when, eventually, we cannot keep on freezing and storing them. Is embryo adoption the answer?
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