Today sees the launch of the official ICRAC Podcast series. The first couple of episodes were recorded at the Convention on Conventional Weapons meeting of experts hosted at the United Nations in Geneva between April 13 and 17 2015. This was a discussion of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), the CCW term for ‘Killer Robots’. […] Continue Reading

On April 17th, ICRAC’s Dr. Matthew Bolton delivered the following closing statement to the informal meeting of experts at the United Nations in Geneva. ICRAC Closing Statement to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Informal Meeting of Experts at the United Nations in Geneva Thank you Mr. Chairperson, Distinguished Delegates, The International Committee for Robot Arms Control […] Continue Reading

On Thursday April 16, ICRAC’s Dr. Peter Asaro delivered the following statement to the informal meeting of experts at the United Nations in Geneva: Thank you Mr. Chair. In response to China’s question, a number of security experts have pointed to the danger of mass attack by conventional weapons on strategically important installations.  Autonomous weapons would […] Continue Reading

On Thursday April 16, ICRAC’s Dr. Guglielmo Tamburrini delivered the following statement to the informal meeting of experts at the United Nations in Geneva. I wish to thank on behalf of ICRAC the Chair of the CCW expert meeting for setting up and coordinating such a rich and informative program of expert contributions on technical, ethical, […] Continue Reading

On Wednesday April 15, ICRAC’s Dr. Juergen Altmann delivered the following statement to the informal meeting of experts at the United Nations in Geneva on Panel Challenges to IHL due to increasing degrees of autonomy. Statement from the International Committee for Robot Arms Control: On Panel Challenges to IHL due to increasing degrees of autonomy. This discussion […] Continue Reading

On Monday April 13, ICRAC guest Dr. Mark A. Gubrud delivered the following statement to the informal meeting of experts at the United Nations in Geneva. International Committee for Robot Arms Control opening statement to the Convention on Conventional Weapons Meeting of Experts on lethal autonomous weapons systems, United Nations Geneva 13 April 2015 I am […] Continue Reading

Next week nation states from around the world will meet at the United Nations in Geneva to discuss the problems raised by Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS): weapons that once activated will select targets and attack them with violent force without the benefits of human control. The Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons will host this […] Continue Reading

UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon “energized” by students’ “serious discussions” on autonomous weapons systems In less than two weeks, diplomats from around the world will gather at the United Nations in Geneva to discuss potential global regulations on “lethal autonomous weapons systems” that would be able to select and attack targets without direct human control. But […] Continue Reading

Ten year old Bethany Clifford-Tait is concerned about a future that includes autonomous weapons systems aka ‘killer robots’. Such were her worries that she wrote to the producers of the oldest and most popular BBC children’s programme Blue Peter to ask them to spread the word to other children across the country in one of […] Continue Reading

ICRAC welcomes the decision by the 2014 UN CCW High Contracting Parties Meeting to keep discussing “lethal autonomous weapon systems” (LAWS). From the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Website: The decision is an important acknowledgement of the legal, technical, ethical, operational, and societal concerns that have been raised. The broad consensus expressed for continuing the talks shows […] Continue Reading