Weapons technology: UN delay could open door to robot wars, say experts

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http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/oct/06/autonomous-weapons-un-delay-robot-wars

Observers say UK and US are seeking to water down agreement so that any autonomous weapons deployed before talks conclude will be beyond reach of ban

UN delay could open door to robot wars, say experts
Harriet Grant
Tuesday 6 October 2015 01.00 EDT

The United Nations has been warned that its protracted negotiations over the future of lethal autonomous weapons – or “killer robots” – are moving too slowly to stop robot wars becoming a reality.

Lobbying for a pre-emptive ban on the weapons is intensifying at the UN general assembly in New York, but a deal may not emerge quickly enough to prevent devices from being deployed, experts say.

“There is indeed a danger now that (the process) may get stuck,” said Christof Heyns, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

“A lot of money is going into development and people will want a return on their investment,” he said. “If there is not a pre-emptive ban on the high-level autonomous weapons then once the genie is out of the bottle it will be extremely difficult to get it back in.”