A worldwide moratorium should be placed on robots that can attack and kill targets without any human controlling the robot’s actions, according to a UN Human Rights Council Report that was released this week.
The report, which was written by Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns — a South African professor of human rights law — says that these killer robots “should not have the power of life and death over human beings”:
“As with any technology that revolutionizes the use of lethal force, little may be known about the potential risks of the technology before it is developed, which makes formulating an appropriate response difficult; but afterwards the availability of its systems and the power of vested interests may preclude efforts at appropriate control.”
Lethal Autonomous Robotics (LAR) technology has already been developed in the U.S., Britain, Israel, South Korea and Japan, but the moratorium would apply to all nations.
The robots Heyns expressed concerns about were defined as “robotic weapon systems that once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator.” The United States Department of Defense (DOD) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) both have endorsed this definition of “killer robots” and often refer to them using the term lethal autonomous robotics or LARs.
Heyns stressed that this moratorium would not extend to all robots, but only those robots that have an autonomous “choice” regarding selection of a target and the use of lethal force. The moratorium would not extend to usage of drones since they are operated by humans and don’t make autonomous decisions on the spot without an order from a human.
LARs technology is still in its early development and this fully lethal technology has not yet been deployed, but the report included examples of similar lethal technology already in use:
-
The U.S. Phalanx system for Aegis-class cruisers automatically detects, tracks and engages anti-air warfare threats such as anti-ship missiles and aircraft.
-
The U.S. Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) system can automatically destroy incoming artillery, rockets and mortar rounds.
-
Israel’s Harpy is a “Fire-and-Forget” autonomous weapon system designed to detect, attack and destroy radar emitters.
-
The United Kingdom Taranis jet-propelled combat drone prototype can autonomously search, identify and locate enemies but can only engage with a target when authorized by mission command. It can also defend itself against enemy aircraft.
-
The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a fighter-size drone prototype commissioned by the U.S. Navy to demonstrate autonomous launch and landing capability on aircraft carriers and navigate autonomously.
-
The Samsung Techwin surveillance and security guard robots, deployed in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, detect targets through infrared sensors. They are currently operated by humans but have an “automatic mode.”
Though Heyns suggested a moratorium on this technology now, he suggested that a moratorium be placed temporarily, only until international laws and rules can be written regarding their use.
Unlike robots, humans possess the ability to be compassionate and have intuition, but humans are fallible and are more susceptible to shortcomings than robots. “Typically [robots] would not act out of revenge, panic, anger, spite, prejudice or fear,” he wrote. “Moreover, unless specifically programmed to do so, robots would not cause intentional suffering on civilian populations, for example through torture. Robots also do not rape.”
Still, Heyns says there is a strong case for approaching the use of LARs with great caution. In his report he warned that “if used, they could have far-reaching effects on societal values, including fundamentally on the protection and the value of life and on international stability and security.”
“There is widespread concern that allowing LARs to kill people may denigrate the value of life itself. Tireless war machines, ready for deployment at the push of a button, pose the danger of permanent (if low-level) armed conflict, obviating the opportunity for post-war reconstruction,” he writes.
Heyns’ findings will be discussed more in-depth at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on May 29, but many human rights organizations have already applauded the proposed moratorium.
In particular, Human Rights Watch (HRW), which has launched a campaign to push for a ban on fully autonomous weapons. As part of the campaign, HRW spotlighted that LARs would be incapable of meeting international humanitarian law standards, including the rules of distinction, proportionality and military necessity.