South Korea has convened an international summit to establish a blueprint for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military applications, aiming to set minimum guardrails for its deployment. The two-day summit in Seoul, which began on Monday, has gathered representatives from over 90 nations, including the United States and China. While the summit seeks to outline principles of responsible AI use in the military, the resulting document is not expected to carry legally binding commitments.
The summit, co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, represents the second such gathering, following last year’s event in Amsterdam. At that time, countries like the U.S. and China endorsed a “call to action” without legal obligations. A senior South Korean official mentioned that the blueprint being developed would incorporate principles already established by NATO and other countries, aiming to create a convergence in international standards for AI use in military contexts.
Although the number of nations that will endorse the final document remains uncertain, the effort is part of broader global discussions on AI and military use. The U.N.’s Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) has ongoing talks about potential restrictions on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Additionally, the U.S. government launched a declaration last year on the responsible use of AI in the military, with 55 countries endorsing it by August.
The Seoul summit also highlights the role of governments as decision-makers in a field largely driven by private sector technological advancements. Approximately 2,000 participants, including representatives from international organizations, academia, and the private sector, have registered to attend discussions on key issues such as civilian protection and AI’s role in nuclear weapons control.
Featured Image courtesy of DALL-E by ChatGPT
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