As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to advance, opportunities for its large-scale application have expanded significantly. However, alongside positive advancements come serious concerns, particularly regarding its use in modern warfare and the development of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). Commonly called “killer robots,” these systems leverage AI to identify, select, and eliminate human targets without requiring direct human intervention, raising profound ethical, legal, and security questions.
In his latest report on current developments in science and technology and their potential impact on international security and disarmament efforts, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the risks associated with the inability of AI to uphold the principle of distinction, which mandates the protection of civilians by distinguishing them from combatants, in compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL).
Since AI picks up inadvertent biases from the underlying data sets that are used to train it, “in the context of autonomous weapons, the criteria that will inform who is and who is not a combatant or target will likely involve factors including gender, age, race, and ability”, according to the preliminary report of a UN expert group.
The potential of artificial intelligence to revolutionise robotic drone swarms presents another particularly dangerous development. Current armed conflicts have shown the increasing utilisation of drones on the battlefield to not just carry out surveillance and intelligence tasks, but also undertake offensive missions. With the help of AI, these low-cost robots could form highly autonomous swarms capable of striking multiple targets simultaneously on a large scale, possibly challenging the principles of proportionality and precaution under IHL.
A primary concern is the challenge of maintaining meaningful human control over these systems, as direct control over swarms is both impossible and counterproductive since the individual units need to rely on autonomous decision-making to form a swarm effectively.
Since machines cannot be held responsible for breaches of international law, any decision by LAWS must ultimately be traceable to a human.
In his New Agenda for Peace, the Secretary-General laid out recommendations on the governance of AI and autonomous weapons systems, including calling for a legally binding treaty to prohibit LAWS that function without human control or oversight, to be concluded by 2026. At September’s Summit of the Future, Member States reiterated the need for further cooperation and agreed to continue talks “with the aim to develop an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems.”
This process is to be facilitated by the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System (GGE LAWS).
With AI’s capabilities progressing rapidly and unpredictably, these efforts present a path towards global governance of this emerging technology, making use of AI’s tremendous potential for good in accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals; while keeping in check the risks associated with its usage in weapons systems.
Sources:
- https://meetings.unoda.org/ccw-/convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons-group-of-governmental-experts-on-lethal-autonomous-weapons-systems-2024
- https://dppa.un.org/en/a-new-agenda-for-peace
- https://unidir.org/publication/swarm-robotics-technical-and-operational-overview-of-the-next-generation-of-autonomous-systems/
- https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future/pact-for-the-future
- https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2F79%2F224&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop&LangRequested=False
- https://docs-library.unoda.org/Convention_on_Certain_Conventional_Weapons_-Group_of_Governmental_Experts_on_Lethal_Autonomous_Weapons_Systems_(2024)/CCW-GGE.1-2024-WP.5.pdf
- https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/governing_ai_for_humanity_final_report_en.pdf
- https://unsceb.org/united-nations-system-white-paper-ai-governance