Following objections from manufacturing states, UN talks on autonomous weapons systems, sometimes known as “killer robots,” fell short of beginning negotiations into an international convention to restrict their use, according to country officials and campaigners. With exception of existing semi-autonomous armaments such as drones, fully autonomous weapons lack a human-operated “kill switch,” instead relying on sensors, software, and machine processes to make life and death decisions. Russia, India, and the United States were among the countries that fought back against a new LAWS treaty, according to sources following the discussions. New Zealand’s Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Phil Twyford, and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg have both called for the development of new international laws governing autonomous weapons. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was among those who expressed dissatisfaction with the discussions’ outcome.

Source: Libya Today December 18, 2021 15:04 UTC