Elisabeth Hoffberger-Pippan from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Germany, talks about the possible ways to regulate AI powered autonomous weapons.
Summary of the lecture(crossposted from the DigHum site)
Recent conflicts show that AI has become ubiquitous in contemporary battlefields. But what if AI is not only used to support human decision-making, but to decide – without human intervention or oversight – who shall live and who shall die?
Autonomous weapon systems have been the center of discussions within the UN for the past years. Achieving progress and decision-making in this matter requires consensus of all States Parties to the UN Convention of Conventional Weapons. It was mostly Russia, which has obstructed any progress, especially since its invasion of Ukraine. Great power rivalry and an impending arms race have created tension in the GGE.
In December 2022, Austria presented a Joint Statement on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems in the First Committee, at the 77th United Nations General Assembly Thematic Debate on conventional weapons. It garnered support from 70 other States including the United States of America. Only one year later, the General Assembly adopted the first-ever Resolution on lethal autonomous weapon systems, with the support of 164 States (again, including the United States of America). In his New Agenda for Peace of 2023, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called upon the international community to agree on legally binding rules.
This presentation explores the possible avenues to regulate autonomous weapon systems. It will delve deeper into the role of the Human Rights Council, as well as the UN Security Council.
Watch the presentation online or watch the recording afterwards. Code to enter is 0dzqxqiy.