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Demand 6: Ban on Autonomous Weapons

A machine that decides over life and death without a human pulling the trigger -- that is not innovation. That is an abolition of responsibility.

Core Demand

Switzerland uses its role as a neutral mediating country and actively advocates for an international moratorium on autonomous lethal AI weapon systems. Geneva is the natural venue for such negotiations.

What Autonomous Weapons Are

Definition

Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) are weapons that can select and engage targets without a human decision. The human programmes the system, but at the moment of firing, the machine decides [1].

Current Status

  • Drone swarms: The USA, China, Israel and Turkey are developing drones that autonomously identify and attack targets. The Turkish Kargu-2 reportedly operated autonomously in Libya for the first time in 2020 [2].
  • Loitering munitions: Drones that patrol an area and independently engage targets (e.g. Israeli Harop, Iranian Shahed).
  • AI-powered target acquisition: Israel deployed an AI system called "Lavender" for target identification in the Gaza conflict, which automatically flagged thousands of potential targets [3].

Why a Moratorium?

The Ethical Argument

The Geneva Conventions are based on the principle of distinction (between combatants and civilians) and proportionality. Both principles presuppose human judgement. A machine can recognise patterns -- but it cannot judge whether a child carrying a toy gun constitutes a threat [4].

The Proliferation Risk

Nuclear weapons require uranium, centrifuges, years of development. Autonomous weapons require software and a drone that can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. The speed of proliferation is orders of magnitude higher than for any previous weapons category [5].

The Geneva Tradition

Geneva is the seat of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations Office, the World Health Organization and numerous other international organisations. The Geneva Conventions of 1949 were negotiated here. The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), under whose framework discussions on LAWS have been held since 2014, meets in Geneva [6].

Switzerland is not just any country that could call for a moratorium. It is the country where the rules of war are written.

Concrete Measures

  1. Diplomatic initiative: Switzerland tables a draft resolution for an international moratorium at the UN General Assembly.

  2. Geneva conference: Organisation of an international conference on LAWS in Geneva, with participation from states, academia, industry and civil society.

  3. National ban: Switzerland prohibits the development, production and export of autonomous lethal weapon systems on its territory.

  4. Research funding: Funding for research on AI safety and verification mechanisms at ETH, EPFL and DCAF (Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance).

Sources

[1] International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Autonomous Weapon Systems: Implications of Increasing Autonomy in the Critical Functions of Weapons.

[2] UN Panel of Experts on Libya: Report on the deployment of the Kargu-2, 2021. S/2021/229.

[3] +972 Magazine / Local Call: Investigative reports on the AI targeting system "Lavender", April 2024.

[4] Asaro, Peter: On Banning Autonomous Weapon Systems. International Review of the Red Cross, 2012.

[5] Russell, Stuart: Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control. Viking, 2019.

[6] Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS.