Every civilized person in the world might be decrying it, but all of that is no matter. It is a simple calculation of expected value of outcome. If the payoff i

Every civilized person in the world might be decrying it, but all of that is no matter. It is a simple calculation of expected value of outcome. If the payoff is large enough, it'll be done. Let's assume that if a country goes public with its development of autonomous weaponry, every other country in the world turns on that country. Let us also assume that it creates an asymmetric warfare state such that said nation can successfully win a war against every other nation, provided the autonomous weaponry is sufficiently well developed. This provides a simple calculus. If the development can be done in time to win the war, it will be done, and thus we can also adjust the variables: if not every country turns on the developer nation, then development time doesn't have to be as short in order to successfully get the product over the line. The reality is that it'll just look like NK's bid for atomic weapons. Bitching and sanctions until development is complete. Edit: The way to cut this particular Gordian knot is to view the development itself as tantamount to execution. Development of autonomous weapons needs to be recognized as literal war and murder, and those doing the development, from leaders to corporations to scientists, need to be caught, tried, convicted, and sentenced as if they were successful.