The United Nations’ technology envoy, Amandeep Singh Gill, has raised alarms regarding the increasing use of autonomous weapons in warfare, suggesting that these technologies could significantly heighten the toll of armed conflicts.
“Putting some distance between humans and [the] taking of life on the battlefield” can make certain countries and armed groups “more trigger-happy,”
Gill stated during a video interview at POLITICO’s AI and Tech Summit in Brussels. He emphasized that the introduction of such technologies may lower the threshold for engaging in conflicts.
Rising concerns in current conflicts
Gill pointed to existing conflicts as evidence of this troubling trend. Notably, the ongoing war in Ukraine has seen a dramatic increase in drone usage, while Israel has faced criticism for its reliance on artificial intelligence to determine bombing targets in its operations in Gaza.
Call for global regulation
In response to these developments, the United Nations is advocating for a global framework to regulate the deployment of autonomous weapons, aiming for an agreement by next year. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres reinforced the need for oversight, stating, “human control over the use of force is essential.”
With concerns about delegating life-and-death decisions to machines, the U.N. is pushing for measures that ensure human judgment remains central in military engagements.