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UN discusses 'killer robots'

Summary

15 November 2013

Countries are meeting in Geneva to decide whether to consider banning 'killer robots' which can make decisions by themselves about when to kill people. Human rights groups claim weapons like these raise serious moral questions about how we conduct war.

Reporter:

Imogen Foulkes

Report

Drones have already raised questions about 21st century warfare  but while they have no pilots, they are controlled by humans on the ground. Lethal autonomous weapons, or 'killer robots', are programmed in advance; on the battlefield it could be the robot, not the human, which decides who to kill. 

The United States, Britain and Israel are all developing lethal autonomous weapons, although all three countries say they dont plan to take humans out of the decision-making loop. 

Supporters of the new technology say it could save lives, by reducing the number of soldiers on the battlefield, but human rights groups question the ethics of allowing machines to take decisions over life and death. 

Now the 50 countries which have ratified the convention on conventional weapons  the countries which have already approved a ban on blinding laser weapons  will consider whether to begin talks on banning killer robots.