Nations dawdle on agreeing rules to control ‘killer robots’ in future wars

Nations such as the United States, Russia and Israel are now investing in developing lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) which can identify, target, and kill a person all on their own – but to date there are no international laws governing their use. — AFP

NAIROBI: Countries are rapidly developing "killer robots" – machines with artificial intelligence (AI) that independently kill – but are moving at a snail's pace on agreeing global rules over their use in future wars, warn technology and human rights experts.

From drones and missiles to tanks and submarines, semi-autonomous weapons systems have been used for decades to eliminate targets in modern day warfare – but they all have human supervision.