According to Verity Coyle ,Senior Campaigner and Advisor at Amnesty International, killer robots seem to exist only in the fictious world of Hollywood sci-fi movies we watch and the books we read. But it’s time to recognise Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) are a very real technological development. One with the potential to have devastating consequences if not regulated.
Right now, countries like China, Russia, and the USA, are investing billions into developing autonomous warfare technology. These systems are programmed to make fatal death decisions using facial recognition and biometric analysis. This means individuals can be targeted based on their ethnicity, gender, and age.
We can’t let this happen. Sign our petition to regulate warfare technology.
Amnesty is teaming up with Stop Killer Robots, a global coalition of more than 180 NGOs and academic partners to ensure control over the use of force through the development of new international law.
On the 3rd of December several countries will come together to decide. By signing this petition before then we can apply more pressure on key decision makers.
After spending this week at talks on AWS with state representatives and colleagues in other non-governmental organisations, I am reminded of the 2013 United Nations Arms Trading Treaty conference I attended to regulate international arms trading. At that time, no one thought that campaigners could call upon international legislation. But we did it! In 2014 the Arms Trade Treaty came into force, and it’s now implemented across 110 states.
Now let’s do it again and stop Killer Robot Tech. When we act together to protect human rights and lives, we can make change.
