The Red Cross warns against the increasing use of autonomous weapons. As a result, warfare “will very soon become even more threatening” and there is a threat of wars that will “eclipse anything previously known,” according to a press release. Red Cross President Gerald Creator criticized the fact that there were no regulations for such weapons systems and called for clear rules.
“Until now we only know the ‘Terminator’ from television. Many people still believe that it has nothing to do with reality. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for a long time. Weapon systems equipped with artificial intelligence are already being used in Ukraine and other war zones. Just like artificial intelligence, the weapon technology equipped with it is also developing exponentially, that is, at a very high speed,” said Creator. These developments must be stopped, otherwise there would be a risk of wars “which, in their brutality and disregard for humanity, would overshadow everything previously known.”
“We see in Ukraine how both remote-controlled and autonomous kamikaze drones are being used against military and civilian facilities, exacerbating the conflict. At the same time, many countries are working on developing autonomous weapons that will be equipped with artificial intelligence and will decide who lives and who dies without human intervention or control,” said Bernhard Schneider, head of rights and migration at the Austrian Red Cross. . There are no regulations for such weapon systems, because no state wants to be overtaken by other countries in their development.
Fatal consequences
This new arms race could have fatal consequences, the Red Cross warned. Schneider notes: “One of the crucial questions is whether it will be even easier for states to initiate armed conflicts in the future if apparently none or far fewer of their own soldiers are killed or injured.”
There are no signs of a national or international ban on autonomous weapons: “Efforts have been made for ten years, but so far no country has decided on a ban. In Austria, too, no legal ban has yet been introduced, although the Austrian Red Cross together with other civil society organizations have long ago drawn up a draft ban.” Schneider recalled the pioneering role that Austria has often played. : “For example, in the exclusion of landmines, anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and in the preparation and implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
Source: Krone
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