By late 2020, the United Nations discussions on autonomous weapons, or killer robots, stalled. Some countries were against continuing discussions in the hybrid virtual/in-person format dictated by the ongoing pandemic. There is some indication that efforts to resume CCW talks are ongoing, but so far little information has been made public. While these talks have stalled, the push for greater autonomy and use of AI in weapons has continued. Loitering and collaborative munitions, autonomous tanks, and uncrewed vehicles developments indicate incorporation of more AI tech in weapons systems.

Key issues of concern:

• Reliability and brittleness of technology
• Conflict escalation, ‘flash wars’
• Diminishing human control
• Accountability for actions carried out by AI systems

Panelists:

–Lode Dewaegheneire, Military Advisor to Mines Action Canada (MAC)

–Laura Nolan, Software Engineer and SRE, ICRAC

–Dr. Maria Vanina Martinez, Computer Science Professor, University of Buenos Aires