UN chief tells countries to rein in autonomous weapons
Countries are set to gather in November for talks on weapons which use AI.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged countries to ban or limit the use of autonomous weapons, warning that the world is nearing a "moral red line" with machines targeting humans. The Red Cross chief Mirjana Spoljaric echoed this sentiment. Reports claim AI-guided drones have been deployed in battle, as highlighted by a New York Times story alleging a Russian AI-drone killed three Ukrainians.
Guterres and Spoljaric emphasized civilian targeting in war is a breach of international humanitarian law, fearing machines may not distinguish between fighters and civilians. They advocated for a ban on autonomous weapons causing unpredictable outcomes and purposefully targeting people. The UN plans a Geneva conference in November to discuss conventional weapons, with lethal autonomous weapon systems likely to be a focus.
The UN has long pushed for binding rules; European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said human oversight is essential for AI in military applications, though the bloc's Artificial Intelligence Act doesn't cover defense or security uses.
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