"Terminator" movie may become real as world experts discuss on the repercussions of killer robots. This is one of the main topics discussed during the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.

The Washington Post reported that autonomous weapons have not surfaced in the mainstream. However, the young technology behind killer robots is rapidly advancing.

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"Being attacked by an army of Terminators is a piece of cake when compared to being attacked by this kind of weapon," said Stuart Russell, a computer science professor at the University of California-Berkeley. "We're [talking] about systems that weigh less than an ounce, which can fly faster than a person can run, can blow holes in their heads with one gram of shape-charge explosive, and can be launched in the millions." 

The killer robots could independently find and kill enemies in order to put human soldiers out of harm's way. These autonomous weapons are likewise capable of targeting individuals based on their age or style of clothing. 

Russell and Angela Kane, a senior fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, estimated that the problem needs to be addressed within two years to prevent a global arms race toward autonomous weapons. They called for scientists, governments and the artificial intelligence industry to convene quickly.  

There is the risk that killer robots could become akin to a new, more powerful AK-47. The AK-47 weapons could cause global destruction sans rare and expensive materials, which help to limit access to nuclear weapons.

The BAE Systems chairman Sir Roger Carr expressed that the biggest danger with killer robots is their lack of empathy. These autonomous machines would effectively be "devoid of responsibility" and would have "no emotion or sense of mercy". 

He added, "If you remove ethics and judgment and morality from human endeavor, whether it is in peace or war, you will take humanity to another level which is beyond our comprehension." 

Independent UK detailed that famed technologist Elon Musk and physicist Stephen Hawking have warned through an open letter about the potential dangers associated with robots that grow too powerful.

As of the present, there are no rules and regulations in developing the autonomous weapons. Meanwhile, there are already some 40 countries around the globe which are developing killer robots.