FLI Project

LETHAL AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEMS

Lethal autonomous weapons systems – also called “slaughterbots” or “killer robots” – are weapon systems that use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify, select, and kill targets without human intervention. Whereas in the case of unmanned military drones the decision to take life is made remotely by a human operator, in the case of autonomous weapons the decision over who lives and who dies is made solely by algorithms.

On this page you can view all of the content that FLI has produced on this issue.

Articles

An introduction to the issue of Lethal Autonomous Weapons

November 30, 2021

Some of the most advanced national military programs are beginning to implement artificial intelligence (AI) into their weapons, essentially making them 'smart'. This means these weapons will soon be making critical decisions by themselves - perhaps even deciding who lives and who dies.

10 Reasons Why Autonomous Weapons Must be Stopped

November 27, 2021

Lethal autonomous weapons pose a number of severe risks. These risks significantly outweigh any benefits they may provide, even for the world's most advanced military programs.

Real-Life Technologies that Prove Autonomous Weapons are Already Here

November 22, 2021

For years, we have seen the signs that lethal autonomous weapons were coming. Unfortunately, these weapons are no longer just 'in development' - they are starting to be used in real military applications. Slaugherbots are officially here.

AutonomousWeapons.org

We have created a website specifically to explain the issue of Lethal autonomous weapons. It provides answers to questions such as:

What are Lethal autonomous weapons?
What’s the problem with them?
How developed is this technology?
What are the risks involved?
What solutions are available?

You can find it here:

Visit site

Videos

Just released

Slaughterbots –
if human: kill()

In 2017, Slaughterbots warned the world of what was coming. Its sequel shows the world that lethal autonomous weapons have arrived. Will humanity prevail?

Slaughterbots

70,000,000+ views | Nov 13, 2017

This short film presents a near-future scenario in which lethal autonomous weapons systems have become widely accessible.

Panel discussion of ‘Slaughterbots – if human: kill()’

Perspectives on lethal autonomous weapons from 5 leading figures in the field.

Why We Should Ban Lethal Autonomous Weapons

Top AI researchers — including deep-learning co-inventor Yoshua Bengio and AAAI President-elect Bart Selman — explain what you need to know about lethal autonomous weapons.

FLI’s position on the issue

We are currently advocating for the position put forward by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC recommends that states adopt new legally binding rules to regulate lethal autonomous weapons, based on three core pillars:

No human targets – Prohibition on autonomous weapons that are designed or used to target humans (“Slaughterbots”).
Restrict unpredictability – Prohibition on autonomous weapons with a high degree of unpredictable behaviour.
Human control – Regulations on other types of autonomous weapons combined with a requirement for human control.

You can read more about the ICRC’s position here:

Read the ICRC Position

LETHAL AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEMS

Articles

An introduction to the issue of Lethal Autonomous Weapons

10 Reasons Why Autonomous Weapons Must be Stopped

Real-Life Technologies that Prove Autonomous Weapons are Already Here

AutonomousWeapons.org

Videos

Just released

Slaughterbots –
if human: kill()

Slaughterbots

Panel discussion of ‘Slaughterbots – if human: kill()’

Why We Should Ban Lethal Autonomous Weapons

FLI’s position on the issue

Podcasts

Stuart Russell and Zachary Kallenborn on Drone Swarms and the Riskiest Aspects of Lethal Autonomous Weapons

FLI Podcast: Why Ban Lethal Autonomous Weapons?

Podcast: Six Experts Explain the Killer Robots Debate

Open letters

Autonomous Weapons Open Letter: Global Health Community

About the LAWS Pledge

Autonomous Weapons: Pledge

Further resources

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