Killer robots: Machines deciding who lives and who dies.

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I hate to say that: This isn’t a future problem. It’s happening now. We and our children are the ‘collateral damage’ in AI-led wars

Governments and weapons companies are racing to develop autonomous weapons that can identify and attack people as “targets” with less and less human control. And right now, there is no law to stop them. A UN expert warns that “we’re dangerously close to crossing a moral red line”. Machine should never decide who lives and who dies.

In just a few weeks, leaders meet in person to decide whether to start writing the first global rules on killer robots. The technical work is done. A draft exists. Some EU leaders have even shown support. But they won’t move unless they feel the public behind them – and that is us.

Without us getting super active, they could put this off for another three years, while these weapons kill indiscriminately.

When thousands of us speak with one voice, governments will hopefully find the courage to act. Engage now and tell the world to draw the line: humans, not machines, must stay in control. If we reach 100,000 signatures, we’ll make sure to bring them to a meeting!

Sign now for a world without killer robots!

AI already decides which news we see, whether we get a loan, even who gets a job interview. It can feel like these decisions are out of our hands - and now they want to hand over the decision to kill, too.

But this time, we can still say no.

Nine in 10 people in France, Germany and the UK are worried about AI weapons, and almost everyone wants rules for them. Some European governments are already calling for negotiations to start. So this isn’t about changing minds. It’s about making sure our leaders keep their word.

Right now, they’re hesitating because it feels like nobody is paying attention. Thousands of signatures can prove them wrong. We can do it!!!

And then:

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said there remains a fundamental difference in worldview between his company and rival Anthropic on artificial intelligence regulation, arguing in an exclusive interview with Decoded by POLITICO that the technology’s benefits justify accepting some risks — and that AI should remain broadly accessible to the public.

Asked specifically where he diverges, Altman said, “we believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency.”

Anthropic has long been viewed as the strongest proponent of AI regulations within the industry, a stance that until recently was at odds with the lighter-touch approach favored by OpenAI. But the policy differences between the two leading AI firms have narrowed in recent months, with OpenAI backing tougher rules as it grapples with high-profile hacking incidents and rogue behavior by its models.

Altman agreed to slow the development of the most advanced AI models. His company has followed Anthropic in endorsing new state laws that impose stricter safety requirements than what the maker of ChatGPT had previously supported — a subtle shift from its prior state strategy. And OpenAI lobbyists recently endorsed a bipartisan US House proposal that would require top AI companies to embed outside safety evaluators.

Europe could be the first to draw the line on killer robots. But while governments hesitate, children are losing their lives in wars with less and less human control. We need to act: Never put life-and-death decisions in the hands of machines.

I hope, you are as worried as I am; I would appreciate your comments; please contact me at [email protected]