A UN conference on restricting AI-powered autonomous weapons systems capable of independently identifying and attacking targets without human involvement will begin in Geneva on November 16.
As Ukrinform reports, this was reported by AFP.
The report said that lethal autonomous weapons powered by artificial intelligence were set to revolutionize warfare, but that no proper regulatory framework governing these emerging technologies was yet in place.
The conference, which would begin on Monday at the United Nations office in Geneva, would discuss how to establish restrictions and bans on such weapons, which some refer to as killer robots.
However, some analysts doubted that discussions under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) would be able to keep pace with the development of these weapons.
Jean-Marc Rickli, Head of Global Risks and Emerging Threats at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said that such systems could independently detect, select and attack targets without operator intervention.
Rickli said that Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) could identify, select and engage targets without human operator intervention during the execution of these tasks.
He noted that advances in AI-powered drones allowed them to respond to changes in their environment and select targets that had not been identified in advance.
Countries had differing positions on the use of autonomous weapons. The United States, in particular, emphasized the need for an appropriate level of human control over their deployment.
France argued that humans should remain in the decision-making loop and that “lethal autonomous weapon systems” (LAWS) should be banned, while “partially autonomous” systems, known as PLAWS, should be permitted.
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Rear Admiral Vincent Sébastien, Deputy Director of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces’ Defence Artificial Intelligence Agency (AMIAD), said that the human role was always ensured through what was called “appropriate control” by a military commander, a concept whose scope varied depending on the criticality of the system and the operational context.
As Ukrinform reported, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates urged governments around the world to urgently develop mechanisms to regulate artificial intelligence, which could trigger major negative changes in the labor market, education and other sectors.
Photo: OP