It is an internet, facebook and Twitter meme that today is “Skynet Day.”  According to the Terminator movies, the Armageddon-bringing computer network known as “Skynet” became self-aware at 8:11PM, April 19, 2011.

Shortly thereafter, according to the movie and its series of lesser sequels (don’t get me started with claims that T2 was somehow better. It was everything that was wrong with movies and popular villains who fans demand be made heroes and if Edward Furlong is humanity’s salvation then we deserve to be crushed under a robotic heel) Skynet declared war on humanity. Then at some point, a time-travelling naked Arnold Schwarzenegger went on the hunt for Linda Hamilton.

It is always comforting when a dystopian movie from the past that is set in its relative future comes to that future-point and is proven wrong and dated. But in this case, not so much.

A Guardian piece from Sydney reveals that the British Ministry of Defense has issued an internal report saying(emphasis mine):

the pace of technological development is accelerating at such a rate that Britain must quickly establish a policy on what will constitute “acceptable machine behaviour”.

“It is essential that before unmanned systems become ubiquitous (if it is not already too late) … we ensure that, by removing some of the horror, or at least keeping it at a distance, we do not risk losing our controlling humanity and make war more likely,” warns the report, titled The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems. MoD officials have never before grappled so frankly with the ethics of the use of drones. The report was ordered by Britain’s defence chiefs, and coincides with continuing controversy about drones’ use in Afghanistan, and growing Pakistani anger at CIA drone attacks against suspected insurgents on the Afghan borders.