News Briefing 15-19 April 2024

Sierra Leone ECOWAS conference on autonomous weapons systems:

• Sierra Leone: As it ends 2 day conference in Freetown, ECOWAS adopts communiqué on use of autonomous weapons in subregion: The Calabash Newspaper reports on the two-day ECOWAS Regional Conference on the Peace and Security Aspect of Autonomous Weapons Systems at Freetown Sierra Leone. The conference concluded with the ‘adoption of a Communiqué detailing ECOWAS’s position on the use of Autonomous Weapons in the sub-region.’ The piece highlights comments by speakers including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Francess Piagie Alghali; His Excellency Brigadier General (Retired) Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone; Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, among others. 
• Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone hosts ECOWAS regional conference on peace, security and the use of autonomous weapon systems: In this piece, The Sierra Leone Telegraph has posted the complete opening remarks by Brigadier General (Retired) Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, at the ECOWAS Regional Conference on the Peace and Security Aspect of Autonomous Weapons Systems. 

Autonomy in weapons systems, and AI in security and defence

• Israel/Gaza: UN experts deplore use of purported AI to commit ‘domicide’ in Gaza, call for reparative approach to rebuilding: In a statement, UN experts said that ‘If proven true, the shocking revelations of the use of AI systems by the Israeli military such as “Gospel”, “Lavender” and “Where’s Daddy?”, combined with lowered human due diligence to avoid or minimise civilian casualties and infrastructure, contribute to explaining the extent of the death toll and home destruction in Gaza’.
• Israel/Gaza: Israel using AI to identify human targets raising fears that innocents are being caught in the net: Elke Schwarz, ICRAC member and Reader in Political Theory at Queen Mary University, London, writes on the use of AI decision support systems by Israel in Gaza, including the Habsora (Gospel) system, and the Lavender system. Schwarz notes that ‘Systems such as Lavender are not autonomous weapons, but they do accelerate the kill chain and make the process of killing progressively more autonomous. AI targeting systems draw on data from computer sensors and other sources to statistically assess what constitutes a potential target. Vast amounts of this data are gathered by Israeli intelligence through surveillance on the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza.’ 
• Australia: Anduril’s Aussie drone sub ‘one year early and on budget,’ heads to production: The Australian minister for the defence industry has said that Anduril’s first autonomous submarine prototype for the country, the Ghost Shark, has been delivered one year early and on budget. The submarine is ‘not only an ISR (intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance) platform’ – it also ‘has the ability to be fitted with weapons to deter potential aggressors.’
• Republic of Korea: Anduril, South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai announce new partnership for autonomous systems: Anduril Industries and South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries have announced ‘a strategic partnership focused on designing and producing autonomous naval systems’, which the companies claim will enhance naval capability through ‘cutting-edge mission autonomy, artificial intelligence, and software.’
• US: Pentagon takes AI dogfighting to next level in real-world flight tests against human F-16 pilot: This piece by Defense Scoop reports on the testing of autonomous fighter jets with AI and machine learning agents against live human agent controlled fighter jets by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force. The program update mentions a number of safety features engaged in the machine learning agent including manoeuvrability and obstacle avoidance, as well as ‘ethical requirements including combat training rules, weapons engagement zones, and clear avenues of fire.’  
• International: Diplomatic debate over autonomous weapons heats up: This piece by Arms Control Association speaks about the acceleration in diplomatic efforts to regulate autonomous weapons, with different approaches largely coalescing into two camps. The US led group promotes ‘voluntary constraints’ while the Austria led group ‘favours a legally binding prohibition on the deployment of fully autonomous weapons systems.’ The US had convened an assembly in March earlier this year, while Austria is set to host the ‘Vienna Conference on Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Challenge of Regulation’ on April 29-30 2024. 
• US: Report sounds alarm over growing role of big tech in US military-industrial complex: Brett Wilkins at Common Dreams writes on a report by Roberto J. González, a professor of cultural anthropology at San José State University, titled ‘How Big Tech and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Military-Industrial Complex.’ The report highlights that despite a majority of Pentagon’s funds being utilised for conventional weapons, it has ‘increased funding for smaller defence tech startups.’ This increase in funding is also aided by a ‘revolving door’ between the Pentagon and defence tech firms, where former defence officials working in VC and private equity leverage their connections to ‘advance beneficial legislation for defence tech firms in their firms’ investment portfolios.’ Due to these factors, the paper states, that civilians and militaries are ‘in danger of being harmed by inadequately tested—or algorithmically flawed—AI-enabled technologies.’ 

Facial recognition, biometric identification, surveillance 

• US: Target hit with class-action lawsuit claiming it violated Illinois’ biometric privacy law: NBC reports that ‘A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Target, a retail brand, for allegedly violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.’ The lawsuit alleges that the retailer covertly collects biometric data from customers with their surveillance systems. 
• International: UN standards on the use of surveillance technology at protests: This piece by Nicola Newson in the UK House of Lords Library highlights the relevance of the ‘Practical toolkit for law enforcement officials to promote and protect human rights in the context of peaceful protests’ by the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of association. It expresses concern on the use of surveillance technologies in the UK, and quotes the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee flagging the use of live facial recognition by the police as ‘deeply concerning.’ 
• US: Maryland bill on police use of facial recognition is ‘strongest law in the nation’: Biometric Update reports on the House Bill 338/ Senate Bill 182, passed unanimously by the Maryland General Assembly. As per the Security Industry Association, the ‘regulation will impose “extensive requirements” applicable to any agency using facial recognition, which are broadly in line with SIA’s Principles for the Responsible and Effective Use of Facial Recognition.’ 

Research and reports

• Policy Brief: The Humanitarian Disarmament Roundtable Conference, 2023: A Summary of Discussions: The Peace Research Institute Oslo has released a policy brief summarising key takeaways from the Humanitarian Disarmament Round Table conference which place over 19–20 June 2023, at the headquarters of the Norwegian Red Cross in Oslo. The brief outlines the technological, regulatory and societal challenges posed by autonomous weapons, and raises concern that ‘the governance of autonomous technology is far behind the innovation cycle.’