We are calling for the UK government to support an autonomous weapons treaty at the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Review Conference in November. Take action today using our letter template and guidance.
Autonomous weapon systems are weapons that detect and apply force to a target based on sensor inputs, rather than direct human inputs.
After the human user activates the weapons system, there is a period of time where the weapons system can apply force to a target without direct human approval. This means what or who will be attacked, and where and when that attack happens, are determined by sensor processing, not by humans. This sensor-based targeting is a function of a weapons system. So, a weapons system is functioning autonomously when sensor processing can automatically trigger an application of force.
Move Fast, Break People, a documentary by the global Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, exposes a pipeline of harm — how our personal data is being used to train algorithms for mass surveillance and target profiles in war. The film explores the impacts of the rapid integration of AI and automation in the use of force and what the international community can do to stop it.
This report highlights the key technological concerns related to the lifecycle of autonomous weapons systems.
Outstanding Technical Issues as interacting with each phase of the following frameworks; The Lifecycle of a weapon system and NATO’s Joint Targeting Cycle.
An investigation into the role of UK universities in the development of autonomous weapons systems.
