Efforts to establish international rules governing autonomous weapons have run into fresh obstacles, with opposition from the United States and Russia raising doubts over whether countries meeting in Geneva can reach an agreement.
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Representatives of 128 countries participating in the United Nations-backed Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons are meeting to consider a draft text that could pave the way for future negotiations on restrictions and regulations for lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).
The discussions have become increasingly important as artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies are being incorporated into military systems. Concerns have grown over weapons capable of identifying and engaging targets with limited or no direct human intervention, particularly amid conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East.
According to diplomats involved in the talks, a majority of countries support the draft document, but the United States and Russia have proposed changes and deletions to parts of the text. The disagreements could prevent the group from reaching the consensus required to move the process forward.
The United States has increasingly favoured voluntary guidelines rather than a legally binding international treaty, arguing that existing international humanitarian law already provides a framework for regulating warfare. Russia, India and Turkey are among the countries supporting greater flexibility in the approach.
Other countries, including Brazil, Ireland and several African states, are pushing for stronger and legally binding safeguards. They argue that meaningful human judgment and control should remain central to decisions involving the use of lethal force.
The disagreement has also extended to the wording of the proposed document, including references to “lethality” and provisions concerning human judgment and control. Diplomats have warned that time is running short and that years of negotiations could end without a meaningful agreement.
The issue has attracted growing concern from international humanitarian organisations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric recently warned that the world was approaching a dangerous point where machines could potentially make decisions over human life without sufficient human involvement.
The Geneva talks are scheduled to conclude on Friday, with diplomats now facing the challenge of finding common ground between countries seeking legally enforceable restrictions and those favouring voluntary guidelines.
The outcome could have significant implications for the future development and use of AI-powered weapons, particularly as militaries around the world continue to explore increasingly autonomous technologies.