--- title: "Europe Wants a Global Ban on Military Killer Robots, but Not Everyone Agrees" description: "The European Parliament passed a resolution calling for an international ban on military killer robots, which it says are an imminent global threat." date: "2018-09-13" modified: "2018-09-13" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/un-military-killer-robots" categories: - "Military" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "european parliament" - "killer robots" - "the digest" - "united nations" --- # Europe Wants a Global Ban on Military Killer Robots, but Not Everyone Agrees ![]() *\Image: Emily Cho\* ## TERMINATOR VISION Imagine: military killer robots that could attack without human approval. Europe thinks that's something the world is better off without — yesterday, the European Parliament passed [a resolution]() that calls for an international ban of killer robots. “I know that this might look like a debate about some distant future or about science fiction," Federica Mogherini, the EU chief of foreign and security policy, said during deliberations earlier this week, as *[Reuters ]()*[reports](). "It's not." ## ALL KILLER But the U.S. and Russia have [already said]() they oppose such a ban. Both superpowers have pointed out that defining a killer robot is surprisingly difficult. And what about remote-controlled weapons that are already widespread? The U.S. Marine Corps has [already tested]() a bot with a .50-caliber machine gun, and drone warfare has been a [key element]() of the U.S.'s War on Terror. Amandeep Gill, the chair of a United Nations group that leads international discussions on lethal autonomous weapons, [admitted last month]() that the "jury is still out" on whether existing weapon systems — like artillery that automatically shoots down incoming rockets and missiles — count as killer robots. If they do, it means that some countries are already in violation of Europe's proposed ban. ## MILITARY KILLER ROBOTS Members of Parliament hope the resolution will lead to an international killer robot ban during negotiations this November, the [*BBC* reported](). But during deliberations on the same topic in Geneva in August, according to that report, world powers including Israel, Russia, South Korea and the United States said they opposed such a ban. "Rather than trying to stigmatize or ban such emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems, States should encourage such innovation that furthers the objectives and purposes of the Convention," wrote the [U.S. representatives in a memo]() to the United Nations in March. Bans like this have worked in the past — for example, the UN successfully banned the use of land mines [globally in 1997](). That might bolster advocates if UN member nations don't put the moratorium in place in November. **READ MORE:** [EU lawmakers call for global ban on 'killer robots']() \[*Reuters*\] ***More on military killer robots: [Leaders Who Pledged Not To Build Autonomous Killing Machines Are Ignoring The Real Problem]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()