New Report Calls for Ban on 'Killer Robots' Amid UN Meeting

Advertisement
By Associated Press | Updated: 12 April 2016 18:50 IST
New Report Calls for Ban on 'Killer Robots' Amid UN Meeting
Technology allowing a pre-programmed robot to shoot to kill, or a tank to fire at a target with no human involvement, is only years away, experts say. A new report called Monday for a ban on such "killer robots."

The report by Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic was released as the United Nations kicked off a week-long meeting on such weapons in Geneva.

The report calls for humans to remain in control over all weapons systems at a time of rapid technological advances. It says that requiring humans to remain in control of critical functions during combat, including the selection of targets, saves lives and ensures that fighters comply with international law.

"Machines have long served as instruments of war, but historically humans have directed how they are used," said Bonnie Docherty, senior arms division researcher at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. "Now there is a real threat that humans would relinquish their control and delegate life-and-death decisions to machines."

Some have argued in favour of robots on the battlefield, saying their use could save lives.

Advertisement

But last year, more than 1,000 technology and robotics experts - including scientist Stephen Hawking, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak - warned that such weapons could be developed within years, not decades.

In an open letter, they argued that if any major military power pushes ahead with development of autonomous weapons, "a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the endpoint of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow."

Advertisement

According to the London-based organization Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, the United States, China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, and Britain are moving toward systems that would give machines greater combat autonomy. Human Rights Watch is a co-founder of the organization.

The UN meeting of experts on the issue, chaired by Germany, continues talks that took place in April 2015 and May 2014.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo X200 FE Launched in India With 6,500mAh Battery, Compact Design
  2. These Galaxy AI Features Might Remain Free-to-Use Even After 2025
  3. Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025: iPhone 16e Deal You Shouldn't Miss
  4. iQOO Z10R India Launch Teased; May Get MediaTek Dimensity 7400 SoC
  5. Amazon Prime Day Sale: Best Deals on Photography Cameras and Accessories
  6. Realme 15 Pro 5G Display, Battery Details Confirmed Ahead of India Launch
  7. Ax-4 Astronauts to Return from ISS with 580 Pounds of Science Cargo
  8. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Key Specifications Leaked: All Details
  9. Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025 Highlights: Top Last-Minute Deals on Day 3
  1. Earth’s Spin to Speed Up Briefly, Causing Shorter Days This Summer
  2. James Webb Telescope Spots Rare ‘Cosmic Owl’ Formed by Colliding Galaxies
  3. MIT Develops Low-Resource AI System to Control Soft Robots with Just One Image
  4. Ax-4 Astronauts to Return from ISS with 580 Pounds of Science Cargo
  5. NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission May Survive with Lockheed Martin’s Low-Cost Proposal
  6. Oru Yemanin Kadhal Kadhai Now Streaming on Aha Tamil: What You Need to Know
  7. Google to Integrate ChromeOS and Android into a Single Platform: Report
  8. OpenAI Says Its Open-Source Reasoning AI Model Is Delayed Indefinitely
  9. iPhone 17 Series Colour Options Spotted via Leaked Lens Protection Covers
  10. Samsung Galaxy F36 5G Confirmed to Launch Soon in India: All Details
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.