Although it appeared to be a little United Nations gathering, a meeting this week in Geneva was closely watched by experts in artificial intelligence, military strategy, disarmament and humanitarian law.
Killer robots – drones, guns and explosives that determine whether to attack and kill on their own, using artificial brains — and what, if anything, should be done to control or restrict them.
Killer robots, more officially known as Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, were formerly the domain of science fiction films like the ‘Terminator’ series and ‘RoboCop,’ but they have been built and tested at a rapid pace with little control. Some prototypes have even been utilised in live combat situations.
The development of these machines is regarded as a potentially seismic event in combat, comparable to the introduction of gunpowder and nuclear bombs.
For the first time this year, a majority of the 125 nations that make up the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons or CCW, declared that they supported limits on killer robots. However, they were met with opposition from members who are developing these weapons, most notably the United States and Russia.
The group’s summit ended on Friday with merely a vague statement about studying potential steps that would be acceptable to all. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a disarmament organisation, stated the decision was dramatically inadequate.’
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