Journalism begins where hype ends

,,

I visualise a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans, and I’m rooting for the machines."

—Claude Shannon

UN, Red Cross Call for Ban on AI Weapons That Autonomously Target Humans

The UN and International Committee of the Red Cross have called for a global ban on autonomous weapons that use AI to target humans without human control.
AI-enabled drones representing autonomous weapons and AI-assisted battlefield targeting
August 26, 2026 01:26 PM IST | Written by Vaibhav Jha

The United Nations (UN) and The International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) have called for greater control on autonomous weapons assisted with AI technology that target humans.

In a joint statement released late Tuesday, the two global bodies warned against the increasing use of AI assisted weapons in battlefield targeting combatants or non/combatants that do not require human control, calling them “politically unacceptable, morally repugnant” and demanded that they should be prohibited under international law”.

Through a joint appeal, the two global bodies have demanded prohibition on “unpredictable autonomous weapons”–such weapons whose outcome, by design, cannot be predicted or anticipated and on “anti-personnel weapons”- such weapons that deliberately target human beings.

 

“We are now dangerously close to crossing a moral red line: the autonomous targeting of humans by machines,” UN Secretary-General Guterres said.

Use of semi-autonomous drones or human controlled drones have been witnessed in the recent Israel-Gaza war and Russia-Ukraine war, according to multiple media reports. UN has clarified that reports of 100% autonomous weapons in battlefield are currently unverified.

The UN and Red Cross bodies warned that failure to take political decision against autonomous AI weapons targeting humans in warfare could leave future generations in world without accountability for lethal decisions.

The joint statement comes ahead of the 7th Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) set to be held in Geneva in November, where a proposal for global agreement on autonomous weapons is expected to be announced.

Also Read: NGOs and Human Rights Groups Urge Halt to AI Use in Military Targeting

Author

  • Vaibhav Jha, editor and co-founder at AI FrontPage

    Vaibhav Jha is an Editor and Co-founder of AI FrontPage. In his decade long career in journalism, Vaibhav has reported for publications including The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and The New York Times, covering the intersection of technology, policy, and society. Outside work, he’s usually trying to persuade people to watch Anurag Kashyap films.

    LinkedIn

Related Posts

LATEST NEWS