UN Chief Guterres calls for ban on ‘killer robots’

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has publicly urged that autonomous weapons systems capable of making life-or-death decisions be banned. Speaking on Al Jazeera’s programme On the Record, Guterres argued that artificial intelligence should not be permitted to determine who lives and who dies. His remarks contribute to a growing global discussion about the role of AI in military and security applications, where advocates and experts have raised ethical, legal and stability concerns. Calls like his put pressure on governments and international bodies to consider regulatory or treaty-based responses to emerging autonomous weapons technologies. The full interview with Guterres is available on aljazeera.com, where he expands on his views and the potential risks posed by AI systems when applied to lethal force. The statement adds a high-level voice to ongoing debates about how to govern advanced AI platforms in contexts that involve human safety and national security.