The two officials warned that the world is rapidly approaching a future in which autonomous weapons could independently identify and attack human targets. In a joint statement, they said that while fundamental concerns about the technology remain unchanged, the risks associated with it have intensified.
So far, there have been no confirmed cases of fully autonomous weapons being used in combat. However, rising global tensions and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, where drones are playing an ever greater role on the battlefield, have raised concerns that such weapons could soon be deployed.
The latest appeal follows a joint statement issued by Guterres and Egger in 2023, in which they urged countries to adopt bans and restrictions on the rapidly evolving technology by 2026.
