April 18, 2018

China’s Strategic Ambiguity and Shifting Approach to Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems

On April 13, China’s delegation to United Nations  on  the “desire to negotiate and conclude” a new protocol for the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons “to ban the use of fully autonomous lethal weapons systems.”  the aptly named Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, the delegation “stressed that [the ban] is limited to use only.” The same day, the Chinese air force  on an upcoming challenge intended to evaluate advances in fully autonomous swarms of drones, which will also explore new concepts for future intelligent-swarm combat.

The juxtaposition of these announcements illustrates China’s apparent diplomatic commitment to limit the use of “fully autonomous lethal weapons systems” is unlikely to stop Beijing from building its own.


Read the full article at Lawfare

  • Podcast
    • December 20, 2024
    How Can the Trump Administration Strengthen U.S. AI Leadership?

    With a new administration just around the corner, now is the time for the US to strengthen its position as a global leader in AI. Even with changing leadership, there remain n...

    By Paul Scharre

  • Commentary
    • Foreign Policy
    • December 19, 2024
    How China’s Antitrust Tactics Undermine U.S. Tech Leadership

    If the United States fails to address this threat, it risks not just losing ground in the technology race, but ceding control over the rules that govern it....

    By Ruby Scanlon

  • Commentary
    • December 12, 2024
    Sharper: Tariffs

    The incoming Trump administration has signaled that tariffs will be a central pillar of its economic strategy, with significant implications for international trade, the Ameri...

    By Eleanor Hume, Charles Horn & Gwendolyn Nowaczyk

  • Reports
    • December 11, 2024
    Technology to Secure the AI Chip Supply Chain: A Working Paper

    Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems, built and deployed with specialized chips, show vast potential to drive economic growth and scientific progress....

    By Tim Fist, Tao Burga & Vivek Chilukuri

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia