FUTURISTIC VISION FOR DEFENCE

Intro: Weapons technology scientists recruit sci-fi authors to prepare military for droid soldiers and AI

In the 1987 sci-fi blockbuster RoboCop, actor Peter Weller growled: “Dead or alive, you’re coming with me”. The idea of cyborg law enforcers roaming the streets was a fantasy.

Now, British military scientists believe AI-powered cops like those seen in the film could become a reality – and have teamed up with science fiction writers to create a vision of what that could look like.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has unveiled Creative Futures, a book of short stories designed to inspire the developers of future weapons tech.

The collection, edited by Dr Allen Stroud of Coventry University, brings together authors and defence experts to imagine scenarios stretching as far forward as 2122.

Professor Tim Dafforn, the chief scientific adviser at the Ministry of Defence, said: “Innovation isn’t just about inventing new technology – it’s about understanding how it will be used, and by whom.

Fiction gives us the freedom to explore those scenarios in ways traditional analysis cannot, helping defence prepare for futures that are complex, contested, and unpredictable. If we only plan for what seems likely today, we will be blindsided tomorrow.”

The stories in Creative Futures explore how emerging tech, a changing society, and global challenges could shape the world of defence and security over the next 100 years.

They cover everything from robot policing and the rise of AI to quantum technology that can predict the future, and wars fought between autonomous machines – already seen with the use of drones in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The DSTL says one of its aims is to help Britain’s defence and security services avoid being taken by surprise by the use of tech in a conflict.

It believes that, by combining scientific expertise with storytelling, the short stories offer a “unique lens to consider alternative futures – both desirable and undesirable”.

The DSTL futures programme management team says the anthology is aimed to “engage, evoke, and provoke”, and in pushing defence scientists to “imagine new ways of working” and “rethink what the future could be”.

It says that preparing for the future means thinking beyond the next upgrade or system. Science fiction challenges us to consider the human, societal, and geopolitical dimensions of technology.

Dr Stroud said: “Science fiction isn’t just entertainment – it’s a strategic tool. These stories help us explore the risks and opportunities of emerging technologies beyond today’s horizon that we might otherwise miss.”

– Creative Futures is available to buy online