Vice President Harris announced in a speech in London that the declaration had been signed by countries allied to the United States, including located in England, Canada, Australia, German And France. The 31 signatory countries do not include China or Russia, which along with the United States are considered leaders in the development of autonomous weapons systems. Although China joined the United States in supporting a statement on the risks posed by AI within the framework of the AI ​​Safety Summit coordinated by the British government.

Avoid deadly automation by AI

When talking about military AI, the idea of ​​weapons powered by this technology is often brought up, capable of deciding for itself when and how to use lethal force. The United States and other countries have rejected calls for an outright ban on the instruments, but Pentagon policy is that autonomous systems should allow “commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment regarding the use of force.” . Discussions on the issue under the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, established in 1980 to create international standards regarding excessive or indiscriminate use of weapons, have almost stalled.

The US-led declaration, delivered last week, does not specifically prohibit the use of AI on the battlefield. Instead, it focuses on ensuring that the data is used in a way that ensures transparency and reliability. This is important, Kahn said, because the army intends to utilize AI in a variety of ways. Even if restricted and strictly monitored, the technology will still be there destabilizing or harmful effects.

One concern is that a malfunctioning AI system will take some actions that trigger increased hostility. “Focusing on lethal autonomous weapons is critical. “At the same time, the process is hampered by debates that focus only on a type of system that does not yet exist,” explains Kahn.

Some people still work for trying to ban lethal autonomous weapons. On the same day that Harris released a new statement regarding military AI, the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, a group of countries working on disarmament and weapons proliferation, approved a new resolution on the issue.

This requires the preparation of a report on the “humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical” challenges posed by lethal autonomous weapons and acceptable contributions from international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and civil society. , scientific and industrial communities. After the vote, a statement issued by the UN quoted the Egyptian representative as saying that “an algorithm should not have complete control over decisions involving the killing or maiming of human beings.”