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The Conversation
The Conversation
Elke Schwarz, Professor of Political Theory, Queen Mary University of London

Autonomous weapons can select targets without human help – now is the time for binding rules

One-way military drones already have the capability to select their targets. Anelo/Shutterstock

Government experts are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to work towards a possible negotiating mandate on autonomous weapons systems (AWS). These are military systems that can select and engage targets without human intervention.

This major international gathering follows a recent call by the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for urgent controls on these weapons, sometimes dubbed “killer robots” in descriptions by the media.

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