New Zealand to Push for International Ban of Autonomous Weapons, or Killer Robots
upstart writes:
Government to push for international ban of autonomous weapons, or killer robots:
The [New Zealand] Government will push for an international ban on fully autonomous weapons, or killer robots, that use artificial intelligence to target and kill people without any human decision-making.
New Zealand has for decades advocated for disarmament in international forums, after declaring the country a nuclear-free zone in the 1980s. Autonomous weapons are seen as a new frontier in the arms race between major military powers.
Disarmament Minister Phil Twyford on Tuesday said the Government had decided to take a "tough and uncompromising" stance on autonomous weapons, and seek a ban of fully autonomous weapons on the international stage. He said there was a realistic prospect that large-scale wars could soon be waged by killer robots.
"There's a fundamental ethical objection to delegating to machines the decision to take a human life. When a machine is activated and can then identify and engage a human target, without any human intervention in that decision-making chain, that is, I think, profoundly concerning.
"Many people, and I think New Zealand is in this camp, seriously question whether it's possible for autonomous weapon systems to comply with the fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law - the rules around protecting civilians, of military action being proportionate, accountability for one's actions in the battlefield.
"There's a third objection ... Mass-produced killer robots in the battlefield will lower the threshold for war. Without human beings in the decision-making chain, controlling these things, it raises the fearful possibility of warfare by robots on a massive scale."
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