Autonomous robots who kill on their own should be prohibited, UN told

The United Nations has been told that killer autonomous robots that use algorithms and sensors in order to determine when to kill people should be banned. The Campaign To Stop Killer Robots has instructed the global community to create a treaty to regulate drones, vehicles, and boats that perform their operations on their own. According to the organizers, artificial intelligence technology is advancing rapidly and legislation is required. The UN Campaign wants to declare a commitment to abide by global humanitarian law and international human rights law in all the activities surrounding robotic weaponry and put in place and implement serious processes to ensure compliance at all stages. 

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Machines do not have morals

Organizers reportedly say that the treaty would prohibit the weaponry system which will not allow human control and those who make murder decisions without any consultation from the human. Judy Williams, a Nobel Prize winner in 1997, who is also one of the organisers said that machines do not have morals because it is a machine. Allowing machines to decide through just algorithms will target and what they might attack is one of the huge reasons why the organizers are considering it to be grossly unethical and immoral. Moreover, machines should be in the service of human beings and the other way round.

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Will take this quietly: HRW

The Human Rights Watch's Mary Wareham plans on tackling this issue quietly however. This is why the HRW is present in order to call for negotiations on the treaty to ban killer robots and retain meaningful human control over the use of military force. Reportedly, the HRW also aspires to create a board-based movement to pressurize the governments to launch negotiations on a brand new international treaty. This treaty shall prohibit weapon systems that would select and engage targets without human control. 

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(With inputs from agencies)