South Korea hosted an international summit in Seoul on Monday, bringing together representatives from over 90 countries, including the United States and China, to establish guidelines for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military. While the agreement reached at the summit is not expected to have binding powers, it aims to create a blueprint for action and set a minimum level of guardrails for AI deployment in military operations.
During the opening address, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun highlighted the recent use of AI-enabled drones by Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war, emphasizing the potential benefits and risks associated with AI in the military. Minister Kim expressed concerns about the potential abuse of AI technology, stating that it could be a double-edged sword.
Discussions at the summit focused on various areas, including a legal review to ensure compliance with international law and mechanisms to prevent autonomous weapons from making life-and-death decisions without appropriate human oversight. The goal was to establish principles for responsible use of AI in the military, drawing inspiration from principles laid out by NATO, the United States, and other countries.
Although it remains unclear how many nations will endorse the resulting document, the summit aims to provide a more detailed framework for setting boundaries on AI use in the military. However, it is expected that the document will lack legal commitments.
This summit is part of ongoing international discussions on AI use in the military. Countries belonging to the 1983 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons are currently discussing potential restrictions on lethal autonomous weapons systems to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law. Additionally, the United States launched a declaration on responsible use of AI in the military last year, which has been endorsed by 55 countries.
Co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, the Seoul summit aims to facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions in a field where private sector technological advancements are prevalent, but government decision-making is crucial. Over 2,000 participants from international organizations, academia, and the private sector have registered to attend the summit, engaging in discussions on topics such as civilian protection and AI’s role in nuclear weapons control.