Autonomous weapons can select targets without human help – now is the time for binding rules

Government experts are meeting in Geneva this week to work toward binding rules on autonomous weapons systems — military tech that can select and strike targets without a human pulling the trigger. The push follows a joint appeal from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and cites a case in Ukraine where, per The Conversation (UK), a Russian drone used AI to pick its own target at a petrol station, killing three civilians. Most experts at the talks agree that humans need to keep meaningful control over these systems, but as The Conversation (UK) notes, the process has been slowed by years of political disagreement. A UN resolution on the issue drew support from one hundred fifty-six countries last November, and this round of talks feeds into further negotiations planned for November.

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