Our UNGA rundown (feat. the draft AWS resolution!); U.S. plans for Replicator 2; overheard this month; and more.

This is Anna Hehir, FLI’s Head of Military AI, and Maggie Munro, Communications Strategist, here with the sixth edition of The Autonomous Weapons Newsletter. We’re excited to bring you the news on autonomous weapons systems (AWS) at a pivotal moment, as the world comes to terms with whether algorithms should make life and death decisions (spoiler alert: most people are terrified).

With this monthly publication, we’re keeping our audience - primarily consisting of policymakers, journalists, and diplomats - up-to-date on the autonomous weapons space, covering policymaking efforts, weapons systems technology, and more.

That being said, if you have no idea what we’re talking about, check out autonomousweapons.org for our starter guide on the topic.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this, please be sure to subscribe and share as widely as possible.

Start spreading the news… 🍎 ✨

It’s that time of year when global leaders, aides and many, many do-gooders descend upon New York for the UN’s General Assembly. In a flurry of speeches, side events, and stock standard talking points to solve the world’s problems, it can feel extremely important if you’re there, and a tad underwhelming if you’re watching from afar.

However, sticking out from the usual gamut of proposed resolutions is one on autonomous weapons that’s worth watching.

📄 You can read the draft resolution text below:

The rundown

After the UN Secretary-General called upon states to advance work on AWS by taking opportunities through all available channels in order to conclude a legally binding instrument by 2026, Austria is proposing another resolution this year to do just that.

The proposed text invites states to a set of informal discussions to discuss autonomous weapons in an inclusive way, encompassing all angles of the issue. Sounds good? The co-sponsors seem to think so including Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland.

What are the obstacles?

Russia, India and some NATO states are wary of the resolution because... wait for it… there should only be one venue to discuss autonomous weapons (the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva).

But, you may ask, aren’t autonomous weapons already a topic of discussion at REAIM in the Netherlands and Korea, in the Human Rights Council, at UNESCO and - last year - at the UN Security Council? Certainly, my friend.

Ultimately, grumbling states seem unhappy about letting the UN talk about autonomous weapons in a place where they can’t dominate by their veto or because many key countries are excluded (66 UN Member States are not represented at the Geneva forum).

The bottom line

At the end of the day, it’s difficult for governments to explain why they wouldn’t support efforts to further discuss an issue that they consider to be important. At a time when the world appears to be in flames and coverage of this year’s General Assembly is asking whether the UN is failing and able to be effective, this resolution could represent a tangible step towards strengthening multilateralism. Let’s see how willing states are to put their words into action… 👀

Special delivery for New York: The Diplomat’s Guide to Autonomous Weapons Systems has arrived in your letterboxes

Diplomats frequently come and go from their postings, leaving newbies scrambling to quickly learn everything in their file. To help our laissez-passer friends in this frantic period, we’ve made A Diplomat’s Guide to Autonomous Weapons Systems, which many of our diplomat subscribers in New York will have received in their embassy letterboxes last week.

If you’re new to your diplomatic posting, you’re a desk officer doing your time in capital, or you’re just curious, please reach out to us and we’ll happily send a physical guide to you! We also appreciate feedback so don’t hesitate to let us know how we can improve the next edition.

FLI in Berlin 🥨

We were very pleased to host an event on autonomous weapons in Berlin last week to an audience of German parliamentarians, diplomats, researchers and academics.

The panel included Prof. Harold Koh (currently representing Ukraine at the ICJ), Merle Spellerberg of the Alliance 90/The Greens party, Anja Dahlman of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, and our very own Mark Brakel, Director of Policy at FLI.

What We’re Reading

📘 Want to know more about the proliferation risks posed by AWS? We highly recommend the recent report from The Geneva Academy titled “Sending Up a Flare: Autonomous Weapons Systems Proliferation Risks to Human Rights and International Security”.

📘 Automated Decision Research has released a paper on the targeting of people by autonomous weapons.

📘 In response to this very pro-autonomous weapons New York Times op-ed - co-authored by a venture capitalist who invests in AI-based defense tech - Action on Armed Violence has published this response, explaining why it’s wrong.

Overheard This Month

• “We must also act to prevent another arms race - for weapons beyond human control - and do so urgently given the pace of technological development. Ireland supports the Secretary-General’s call to conclude a treaty on autonomous weapons systems by the end of 2026.” - Seán Fleming, Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, at UNGA.

• “Can algorithms possibly be accountable? If not, the accountability revolution started at Nuremberg will be reversed.” - Professor Harold Koh, speaking about autonomous weapons at our event in Berlin.

• “In our view at the UN [autonomous weapons systems that can make life and death decisions] would not only be morally repugnant, it would also go against the grain of existing obligations, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict.” - Amandeep Singh Gill, UN Secretary-General’s tech envoy.

• “Societies have always needed a warrior class that is enthused and excited about enacting violence on others in pursuit of good aims… You need people like me who are sick in that way and who don’t lose any sleep making tools of violence in order to preserve freedom.” - Palmer Luckey, defense tech company Anduril CEO, speaking at Pepperdine University.

AWS in the News

→ Google employees speak their (Deep)Mind: Earlier this year, nearly 200 Google DeepMind employees sent a letter urging their employer to drop its military contracts. The signatories cited concerns that Google’s AI technology is being used in warfare, e.g., by the Israeli Military Defense, which they argue violates Google's principles.

→ Replicating Replicator: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed the Pentagon to begin “Replicator 2”, the aptly-named second iteration of its Replicator program. Expanding on the initial Replicator program’s goal to amass thousands of autonomous weapons by 2025, Replicator 2 will focus on counter-drone tech, and address “production capacity, technology innovation, authorities, policies, open system architecture and system integration, and force structure” into fiscal year 2026.

→ It’s a dog-eat-dog world: Echoing China’s robot battle dogs, the U.S. Army has deployed its own robot dogs for testing in Saudi Arabia - complete with AI-enabled rifles.

Contact Us

For tips or feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].