The military wants ‘robot ships’ to replace sailors in battle

On a sunny day last September, a ship with no humans aboard fired its missiles into the sky, inching the military toward a sought-after goal: building an armada of drone ships that use artificial intelligence instead of sailors to fight at sea.

The missile test was a crucial step for the Navy’s autonomous vessel program, an extensive initiative to develop 21 robot ships over the next few years. The program is a direct response to countries such as China, which have been building sophisticated missile technology to target ships that approach their shores. Robot vessels could be a cheaper and more effective way to protect the seas while putting fewer sailors’ lives at risk, former naval officers said.