The UN and the Red Cross are calling for a treaty on lethal autonomous weapons.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger on Tuesday issued an urgent call for the adoption of international rules on autonomous weapons, saying the world is "dangerously close" to crossing a "moral red line".

The message is unambiguous: "We are now dangerously close to crossing a moral red line: the autonomous targeting of human beings by machines." It was in these terms that António Guterres and Mirjana Spoljaric Egger jointly alerted international opinion in a statement published on Tuesday, August 25.

The two officials had already issued an initial appeal in 2023, calling on states to implement specific bans and restrictions on these technologies by this year. Three years later, they are reiterating this appeal with, they say, "even greater urgency," believing that "the risks have intensified" even though their "fundamental concerns remain unchanged."

Autonomous lethal weapons systems are devices capable of selecting targets and using force without human intervention. No proven use of fully autonomous weapons has been confirmed to date. However, the drone war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East have accelerated the race to make military systems autonomous, fueling fears that this threshold will soon be crossed.

No international treaty currently governs these weapons, whether autonomous or guided by artificial intelligence. Discussions have nevertheless been underway for ten years. After three more years of consultations, UN member states are to decide in November whether to open genuine negotiations for a binding agreement.

Guterres and Spoljaric noted that the scientists and engineers working on the development of these systems have themselves, in many cases, called for safeguards. “When the architects of this technology call for limits, states cannot afford to remain passive,” they stated. They called on governments to demonstrate “political courage,” warning that “a lack of swift and decisive action will cost lives.” Their conclusion is unequivocal: “Innovation must serve humanity, not endanger it.”