Latest news with #ConventiononCertainConventionalWeapons
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
‘Politically Unacceptable, Morally Repugnant': UN Chief Calls For Global Ban On 'Killer Robots'
14 May 2025 'There is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our world,' Mr. Guterres said on Monday, during an informal UN meeting in New York focused on the use and impact of such weapons. 'Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control should be prohibited by international law.' The two-day meeting in New York brought together Member States, academic experts and civil society representatives to examine the humanitarian and human rights risks posed by these systems. The goal: to lay the groundwork for a legally binding agreement to regulate and ban their use. Human control is vital While there is no internationally accepted definition of autonomous weapon systems, they broadly refer to weapons such as advanced drones which select targets and apply force without human instruction. The Secretary-General said in his message to the meeting that any regulations and prohibitions must make people accountable. 'Human control over the use of force is essential,' Mr. Guterres said. 'We cannot delegate life-or-death decisions to machines.' There are substantial concerns that autonomous weapon systems violate international humanitarian and human rights laws by removing human judgement from warfare. The UN chief has called for Member States to set clear regulations and prohibitions on such systems by 2026. Approaching a legally binding agreement UN Member States have considered regulations for autonomous weapons systems since 2014 under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) which deals with weapons that may violate humanitarian law. Most recently, the Pact for the Future, adopted in September last year, included a call to avoid the weaponization and misuse of constantly evolving weapons technologies. Stop Killer Robots – a coalition of approximately 270 civil society organizations – was one of the organizations speaking out during this week's meeting. Executive Director Nicole van Rooijen told UN News that consensus was beginning to emerge around a few key issues, something which she said was a 'huge improvement.' Specifically, there is consensus on what is known as a 'two-tiered' approach, meaning that there should be both prohibitions on certain types of autonomous weapon systems and regulations on others. However, there are still other sticking points. For example, it remains unclear what precisely characterizes an autonomous weapon system and what it would look like to legislate 'meaningful human control.' Talks so far have been consultations only and 'we are not yet negotiating,' Ms. Rooijen told UN News: 'That is a problem.' 'Time is running out' The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for a ban on autonomous weapon systems, saying that the fate of humanity cannot be left to a 'black box.' Recently, however, there has been increased urgency around this issue, in part due to the quickly evolving nature of artificial intelligence, algorithms and, therefore, autonomous systems overall. ' The cost of our inaction will be greater the longer we wait,' Ms. Rooijen told us. Ms. Rooijen also noted that systems are becoming less expensive to develop, something which raises concerns about proliferation among both State and non-state actors. The Secretary-General, in his comments Monday also underlined the 'need for urgency' in establishing regulations around autonomous weapon systems. 'Time is running out to take preventative action,' Mr. Guterres said.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN revisits 'killer robot' regulations as concerns about AI-controlled weapons grow
Several nations met at the United Nations (U.N.) on Monday to revisit a topic that the international body has been discussing for over a decade: the lack of regulations on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), often referred to as "killer robots." This latest round of talks comes as wars rage in Ukraine and Gaza. While the meeting was held behind closed doors, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres released a statement doubling down on his 2026 deadline for a legally binding solution to threats posed by LAWS. "Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be banned by international law," Guterres said in a statement. "We cannot delegate life-or-death decisions to machines," he later added. Former Trump Official Slams Un Reform Efforts As 'Eight And A Half Years Late' International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric delivered a statement to nations participating in Monday's meeting. Spoljaric expressed the ICRC's support for efforts to regulate LAWS but warned that technology is evolving faster than regulations, making threats posed by the systems "more worrying." Read On The Fox News App "Machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement threaten to transform warfare in ways with grave humanitarian consequences. They also raise fundamental ethical and human rights concerns. All humanity will be affected," Spoljaric said. Nuclear Watchdog Urges 'Trust But Verify' That Iran Engages In Good-faith Negotiations Artificial intelligence is not necessarily a prerequisite for something to be considered an autonomous weapon, according to the U.N., as not all autonomous systems fully rely on AI. Some can use pre-programmed functions for certain tasks. However, AI "could further enable" autonomous weapons systems, the U.N. said. Vice President of the Conservative Partnership Institute Rachel Bovard, however, says that while regulation of autonomous weapons is necessary, the U.S. needs to be cautious when it comes to the development of international law. "AI is the wild west and every country is trying to determine the rules of the road. Some regulation will be imperative to preserving our humanity. When it comes to international law, however, the U.S. should proceed with caution," Bovard told Fox News Digital. "As we have learned with everything from trade to health, subjecting our national sovereignty to international dictates can have lasting unintended consequences. If existing international law is sufficient at the moment, that is what should govern." Countries in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons have been meeting since 2014 to discuss a possible full ban on LAWS that operate without human control and to regulate those with more human involvement, according to Reuters. In 2023, more than 160 nations backed a U.N. resolution calling on countries across the globe to address the risks posed by LAWS. However, there is currently no international law specifically regulating article source: UN revisits 'killer robot' regulations as concerns about AI-controlled weapons grow
Fox News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
UN revisits 'killer robot' regulations as concerns about AI-controlled weapons grow
Several nations met at the United Nations (U.N.) on Monday to revisit a topic that the international body has been discussing for over a decade: the lack of regulations on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), often referred to as "killer robots." This latest round of talks comes as wars rage in Ukraine and Gaza. While the meeting was held behind closed doors, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres released a statement doubling down on his 2026 deadline for a legally binding solution to threats posed by LAWS. "Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be banned by international law," Guterres said in a statement. "We cannot delegate life-or-death decisions to machines," he later added. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric delivered a statement to nations participating in Monday's meeting. Spoljaric expressed the ICRC's support for efforts to regulate LAWS but warned that technology is evolving faster than regulations, making threats posed by the systems "more worrying." "Machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement threaten to transform warfare in ways with grave humanitarian consequences. They also raise fundamental ethical and human rights concerns. All humanity will be affected," Spoljaric said. Artificial intelligence is not necessarily a prerequisite for something to be considered an autonomous weapon, according to the U.N., as not all autonomous systems fully rely on AI. Some can use pre-programmed functions for certain tasks. However, AI "could further enable" autonomous weapons systems, the U.N. said. Vice President of the Conservative Partnership Institute Rachel Bovard, however, says that while regulation of autonomous weapons is necessary, the U.S. needs to be cautious when it comes to the development of international law. "AI is the wild west and every country is trying to determine the rules of the road. Some regulation will be imperative to preserving our humanity. When it comes to international law, however, the U.S. should proceed with caution," Bovard told Fox News Digital. "As we have learned with everything from trade to health, subjecting our national sovereignty to international dictates can have lasting unintended consequences. If existing international law is sufficient at the moment, that is what should govern." Countries in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons have been meeting since 2014 to discuss a possible full ban on LAWS that operate without human control and to regulate those with more human involvement, according to Reuters. In 2023, more than 160 nations backed a U.N. resolution calling on countries across the globe to address the risks posed by LAWS. However, there is currently no international law specifically regulating LAWS.
