UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric issued a call in 2023 for countries to establish specific bans and restrictions on rapidly developing technology by this year.
“Today we repeat this call with even greater urgency,” the joint statement said. It added that although “the main concerns remain unchanged (…), the risk has increased.”
“We are now dangerously close to crossing a moral red line: autonomous targeting of people by machines,” warned A. Guterres and M. Spoljaric.
Deadly autonomous weapons systems are generally understood as weapons systems that select targets and use force without human intervention.
So far, there is no confirmed case of fully autonomous weapons use.
However, with rising global tensions and ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, where drone warfare has become a key battlefield feature, there is growing fear that this may happen soon.
Currently, there is no specific treaty on autonomous and AI-based weapons.
“Autonomous weapons systems are not a part of the distant future: the race for greater autonomy in weapons systems is already well advanced,” emphasized A. Guterres and M. Spoljaric.
“Future generations will ask whether leaders took action while there was still a chance to set limits before these weapons spread uncontrollably,” they said.
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They noted that the scientists and engineers developing such systems have often expressed concern.
“When the architects of these technologies call for limits, states cannot afford to remain passive,” they stated.
Discussions about a possible future treaty regulating the use of autonomous weapons have been ongoing for a decade.
After three years of talks, countries are expected to decide in November whether to start detailed negotiations on a treaty.
UN and ICRC leaders urged showing “political courage,” stating: “Failure to act quickly and decisively will cost human lives.”
The need for clearly defined rules, they said, is urgent, emphasizing that “innovation must serve humanity, not threaten it.”
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