UN intends to ban the use of combat robots

United Nations experts called for limiting the use of automated robotic systems. The issue was discussed at the next meeting of government experts in Geneva.

The systems of deadly autonomous weapons are called complexes of machines endowed with artificial intelligence, thanks to which they find and eliminate targets in accordance with a given program.

A few years ago, thousands of scientists, researchers and specialists published an open letter on the website of the non-profit organization Future of Life Institute, in which they were urged to stop creating autonomous combat robots. The arguments were cited by obvious threats factors that inevitably arise in cases where the artificial intelligence will be given the right to independently decide on the start or end of military operations.

After their creation, such systems will almost certainly appear on the black market, where they can be acquired by terrorists or other inappropriate people, the consequences of whose actions cannot be predicted.

In addition, automated robots are ideal for carrying out custom operations and terrorist acts. They are much cheaper than nuclear weapons, therefore they are quite accessible for large combat groups seeking to destabilize society and undermine the structure of states.

Specialists from the United Nations require states that are engaged in the development of combat robots to clearly define under what conditions the use of autonomous complexes is unacceptable. At the same time, civil autonomous systems can and should develop without restrictions. The meeting was attended by experts from 125 countries, including the Russian Federation.