Vienna Conference Ended with Call for Regulation of Autonomous Weapons Systems

PeopleDiplomats ♦ Published: May 6, 2024; 00:12 ♦ (Vindobona)

The call for stricter rules for autonomous weapons systems is growing louder, especially after the first international conference on this topic, which took place in Vienna from April 29 to 30, 2024. Alexander Schallenberg, the Austrian Foreign Minister, emphasized the urgency of establishing clear international rules for the use of autonomous weapons.

In Vienna, more than 900 representatives from 142 countries gathered for an international conference on Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) in the Hofburg palace. / Picture: © BMEIA Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres / Michael Gruber / Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0 DEED)

From April 29 to 30, 2024, more than 900 representatives from 142 countries gathered in Vienna for a groundbreaking international conference on Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS). Under the title "Humanity at the Crossroads: Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Challenge of Regulation", they discussed the increasing autonomy of weapons through the use of artificial intelligence and the…