Jan Mazal

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Rapid technological developments in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Advanced Weapons Systems brings new approaches, opportunities and threats in wide range of operational and industrial applications, and is leading to significant changes in the way we perceive both our social environment and human performance in the contemporary world and in the future. It is now more clear that the role of humans in the future will dramatically change, and our high expectations are somewhat mixed with concerns about the increasing pace of the ongoing technological revolution. Many of these concerns are driven by advances in AI, a field which some technologists fear could get out of our control.

In scientific communities there continues to be an intensive discussion about the potential future of humankind, the major risks and possible outcomes. In any case, year by year we are surprised by the faster and faster progress in advanced Research and Development areas, and we can feel the "technological vibrations." Are these indicators that we are witnesses of something unique? Something mentioned in SCI-FI publications from several decades before? It is therefore necessary to devote attention to this phenomenon, and the MARS Conference creates an ideal communication platform in this field.

As in the events of 2014 and 2016, in 2018 we look forward to the participation of leading experts from around the world, including Prof. Ronald Arkin, USA; Dr. Thomas Killion, NATO; Prof. Michal Pechoucek, CZE; Prof. Agostino Bruzzone, ITA; Mr. Kevin Mills, USA; GEN Petr Pavel, CZE; Dr. Thomas Irwin, USA; CAPT Vincenzo Milano, ITA-Navy and others. We look forward to a broad interdisciplinary discussion about not only the technological, but also the ethical, legal, psychological, economic and other aspects of the use of autonomous/robotic systems in a future, multi-domain environment.

LTC Jan Mazal

Chairman MARS