Press "Enter" to skip to content

Ban killer robots before it’s too late

 

Washington, DC – Governments should pre-emptively ban fully autonomous weapons because of the danger they pose to civilians in armed conflict, Human Rights Watch and the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School said in a report released today. These future weapons, sometimes called “killer robots,” would be able to choose and fire on targets without human interventi

The 50-page report, “Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots,” outlines concerns about these fully autonomous weapons, which would inherently lack human qualities that provide legal and non-legal checks on the killing of civilians. In addition, the obstacles to holding anyone accountable for harm caused by the weapons would weaken the law’s power to deter future violations.

Read the rest of the article here. 

International Human Rights Clinic is part of the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School. Is has more than 20 projects around the world, training students in fact-finding, litigation, research, and advocacy.

Next:
Elissa Goss, a senior at The Evergreen State College and…