UN and ICRC call for limits on lethal autonomous weapons

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have issued a joint warning calling for the establishment of legally binding limits on the development and use of lethal autonomous weapons. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric warned that military technologies driven by artificial intelligence are advancing faster than the international regulations intended to govern them.

The primary concern involves systems capable of identifying, selecting, and attacking targets with varying levels of autonomy, potentially removing direct human intervention from the decision-making cycle. Experts warn that such technology could lead to a “moral red line” where machines make life-or-death decisions. There are significant risks regarding the inability of algorithms to distinguish between combatants and civilians or to recognize signs of surrender.

Furthermore, the use of autonomous systems creates legal challenges regarding accountability. The complexity and opacity of software make it difficult to assign criminal or civil responsibility to manufacturers, commanders, or states when an autonomous system commits a tactical error or violates international humanitarian law. Both organizations are urging states to move from discussion to the negotiation of an international instrument to regulate these technologies.