With news stories about AI and autonomous weapons systems surging, and negotiations at the United Nations General Assembly fast approaching, we will be publishing a curated roundup of the latest news, analysis, and commentary every two weeks to help keep you informed about the key developments shaping the global conversation on autonomous weapons in the run-up to UNGA. This is the second edition.
- France 24 – Military shake-up poses little threat to Ukraine’s drone revolution
Article exploring Ukraine’s use of autonomous platforms throughout the conflict with Russia. This article stresses that, despite changes in the leadership of the military, new technologies are still developing at pace. - Slugger O’Toole – Why a treaty on ‘killer robots’ would not stop ‘human safaris’
El Cavador argues that there is a gap in any potential treaty governing lethal autonomous weapons, namely the failure to address crimes taking place today with human oversight. The author notes that it would be a mistake to keep treating the autonomy of weapons as the whole of the moral problem, highlighting the need to also focus on the crimes committed today by humans. - Arab News – Three ways AI will change the course of humanity
The article highlights three ways AI is changing everyday life. One of these three is the invention and adoption of autonomous weapon systems. - Gadget Review – Ukraine Says 70+ AI Weapons Are Already Hitting Battlefield Targets
Looks at DELTA, Ukraine’s battlefield management platform, and the Vezha video-streaming module which enables its AI targeting. - Modern War Institute – The First Clean Signal Is Not Permission to Fire: On Resilience and Governance of Autonomous Systems
Here Oktenli explores the steps that autonomous systems should take when engaging a target after experiencing jamming that prevents them from communicating with human operators. The author argues for a set of rules programmed into such systems as safeguards. The Modern War Institute is part of the West Point Academy, so this article likely reflects US thinking on this matter - New Lines Institute – From Reaction to Prevention: WPS and Artificial Intelligence
A report highlighting ways that future AI systems should have to have Women, Peace and Security (WPS) principles built into them. - United 24 – Should Ukraine Have to Justify Its Use of Battlefield AI?
Despite widespread use of AI-enabled drones in Ukraine and the Middle East, they are operating without a clear set of rules. This has left developers guessing about what is allowed and what is banned.. - The Guardian – Autonomous drones and the future of war in an AI-driven world
Dr Darren Mann, a military surgeon, stresses that machines that kill without distinction, and are answerable to no one, leave no one safe. - Responsible Investor – Investor group calls for feedback on responsible defence guidance
Feedback is being sought on the proposed updates to the Guidance for Responsible Investment for Defence-related Companies. These proposed updates include whether it is ethical to invest in companies producing autonomous weapon systems. - In Depth News – When Machines Decide Who Dies
The author, Ramesh Jaura, argues that autonomous weapons are arriving on battlefields before the rules have been put in place. - Small Wars Journal – Fully Autonomous Drones Reportedly Kill in Ukraine
This article highlights the significance of the first use of fully autonomous weapons and the current policy gap. - AI Drone Swarms: The New Frontline of Warfare
The author writes about seeing a demonstration of an AI drone swarm and highlights the ethical questions around the use of such technology. The article includes footage of a drone swarm attack against an inert target. - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – AI helped me (almost) build a killer drone
Matt Smith writes about his experience using AI chatbots to help him build a ‘killer drone’. The article demonstrates how this technology could be used in the future by non-state actors. - Lieber Institute – Beyond Human-in-the-Loop: Battlefield Maps for Drone Autonomy
This article argues that the requirement that a human approve every lethal engagement is effectively dead. The Lieber Institute is part of the West Point Academy, so the article is likely to reflect US military thinking. - National Catholic Register – The ‘Killer Robots’ Have Arrived. Here’s How the Church Is Responding.
Highlights the teaching of the Catholic Church on AI and autonomous weapon systems following the Pope’s encyclical on AI. - RSiS – Ten Years of Multilateral Dialogue on Autonomous Weapons: Bleak Futures Ahead?
A report highlighting the key challenges facing the next GGE meeting (31 August–4 September). It is a good primer for those attending these sessions, as it summarises these challenges and why they have emerged over the past 10 years of negotiations.