Fully autonomous weapons
Lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) or ‘killer robots’ are an alarming prospect for society and humanity. Autonomous weapons use artificial intelligence (AI) to select targets and choose if and when to attack with force, based on sensor data rather than direct human inputs. This means no human decides exactly when or against what force will be used. We are already seeing increasingly autonomous weapons being developed. Killer Robots are not a thing of sci-fi but a threat that must be met with urgency. The moral, ethical, legal and security challenges these weapons pose, when we delegate the decision to take human life to a machine, require urgent and decisive action from the international community. The majority of states, the ICRC, UN Secretary General, thousands of AI experts and other civil society are calling for new international law to address autonomous weapons. There needs to be specific prohibitions including on autonomous weapons that target people and those that cannot be used with meaningful human control. Unfortunately, Australia is yet to support this way forward which is alarming given they are investing heavily in autonomy for defence.
As you may have read on our blog, SafeGround Inc became a member of the Stop Killer Robots campaign in January 2019. The campaign is a global coalition of over 200 NGOs in 70 countries working to see an international treaty supported by all.
Scroll for more on Australia and international progress on this issue.
Also check out stopkillerrobots.org
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Uni Students!
Did you know that universities are involved in autonomous weapons development?
You can make a change!
Check out more HERE
There is also more information in our report:
Australia Out of the Loop: why we must not delegate decision making in warfare from man to machine
This SafeGround report positions this important issue in our national context.
is the first of its kind to delve into autonomous weapons across multiple dimensions and diverse sectors of society from an Australian perspective.
The report illustrates how Australia is “out of the loop” on this issue of keeping humans “in the loop” and maintaining meaningful human control over the use of lethal force. It advocates for policy change in Australia, to see our country support the calls to ban these abhorrent weapons.
You can watch our recoding of the launch HERE
International Progress and Australia’s position
The international community is yet to launch negotiations for a treaty on autonomous weapons. We need bold and decisive action to address the concerns these weapons pose. Maintaining meaningful human control over the use of lethal force must be a priority.
Global momentum is building, with the majority ready to establish a new legally binding instrument. However, Australia rejects the need for new international law – and is out of step with this global progress.
Talks have been taking place in the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) for 10 years, and the Group of Governmental Experts was formed to tackle the issue. It has failed to reach any meaningful outcomes. Yet, Australia insists it is the forum to continue discussions, rather than taking other decisive and urgent action required.
Australia is among a small handful of states resisting new law. Australia should demonstrate moral leadership by supporting the establishment of prohibitions to ensure meaningful human control over the use of force, and that autonomous weapons do not target people.
The Australian Department of Defence and Defence Forces have been intentionally vague on human control in these types of weapons systems. The 2020 Defence Strategic Update also suggests Australia is embarking on a path towards these weapons, which is highly alarming (read more here). More about Australia’s position can be read HERE.
