The world’s two superpowers on Thursday refused to sign a global declaration against the use of artificial intelligence in military operations, despite growing concerns over the rapid growth of the technology.
Only 35 out of 85 participating countries Responsible AI in the military The (REAIM) summit held in Spain agreed to sign a pledge on monitoring the deployment of technology in war.
Major signatories include South Korea, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Ukraine.
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Tense relations between the United States and its European allies and uncertainty about how transatlantic relations will play out in the coming months and years have made some countries hesitant to sign the joint agreement, according to several attendees and representatives.
The pledge highlights growing concerns among some governments that rapid advances in artificial intelligence could outpace rules governing its military use, increasing the risk of accidents, miscalculations or unintended escalation.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said governments faced a “prisoner’s dilemma”, caught between introducing responsible restrictions and not wanting to restrict themselves compared to their adversaries.
“Russia and China are moving very fast, which increases the urgency to advance the development of AI. But as we see AI progressing rapidly, it also increases the urgency to continue to work on its responsible use. The two are closely linked,” he said in comments to Reuters.
Signatories of the pledge agreed to 20 principles on AI, including affirming human responsibility for AI-powered weapons, encouraging clear chains of command and control, and sharing information on national surveillance agreements “where consistent with national security.”
The document also outlined the importance of risk assessment, robust testing and training, and education of personnel operating military AI capabilities.
At the previous two Military AI Summits held in The Hague and Seoul in 2023 and 2024about 60 countries excluding China, including the United States, supported a modest “blueprint for action” with no legal commitments.
This year’s document was also non-binding, but some people remained uncomfortable with the idea of supporting more specific policies, said Yasmin Afina, a researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, an adviser on the process.
- Additional editing by Vishakha Saxena, Reuters
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