UN Calls for Limits on Autonomous Weapons

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have called for urgent international rules governing autonomous weapons capable of killing people without human intervention.

"We are dangerously close to crossing a moral red line: the autonomous targeting of people by machines", UN Secretary-General António Guterres and International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric warned. They called for negotiations on a legally binding agreement setting out clear prohibitions and restrictions.

Countries will discuss possible new rules in Geneva next week amid growing concern over the use of semi-autonomous, AI-powered weapons in conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Iran and the Persian Gulf.

Some militaries already use fully autonomous systems, including to defend warships against incoming missiles, but there are no known cases of such weapons being used to target people.

Human rights groups warn that autonomous weapons could make fatal mistakes and raise difficult questions over who should be held responsible when they do. Guterres and Spoljaric urged governments to move beyond gradual discussions and take decisive action.

(Reuters, bak)