128 countries agree on framework for global rules on autonomous weapons

In a recent breakthrough 128 countries have agreed for a framework aimed at regulating or banning autonomous weapons that could pave the way to international rules on “killer robots.”

The states’ agreement to the non-binding text is a significant step in regulating these deadly weapons in a conflict-ridden world. The nod comes after more than a decade of talks on how to manage weapon systems that can identify targets autonomously with little to no human intervention.

However, some groups complained about watering down the text definition of autonomous weapons and the steps taken to reduce their impacts on civilians.

"It's a real shame that all the work done by states on the text over the past ​three years has been substantially diluted in the last hours," ​Nicole van Rooijen, executive director at Stop Killer Robots said.

Delegates from the member states of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons concluded a week-long meeting in Geneva by reaching an overnight consensus.

During the discussions, the states including Russia and the United States were locked in differences over language of the text. However, both sides also vouched for national guidelines over international legally binding rules.

Therefore, Washington called for flexibility in the non-binding text such as areas related to human judgement.

This consensus-based, non-binding agreement comes in the midst of growing international concern over autonomous lethal weapons systems used in active conflicts across Ukraine, Sudan, and the Middle East, potentially paving the way for future formal treaty negotiations.