News briefing: Vienna conference on AWS

A sample of media coverage from around the world of the Austrian conference on autonomous weapons systems, ‘Humanity at the Crossroads: autonomous weapons and the challenge of regulation’, held in Vienna on 29 & 30 April 2024.

• Austria: Wien: Konferenz will Regeln für “Killerroboter”: Coverage of Austria’s conference on autonomous weapons in Vienna on April 29th and 30th in the Austrian media outlet ORF quotes Austria’s foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg, who stated in his conference opening comments that ‘Technology is developing at breakneck speed, politics is lagging behind’, and that ‘there is a ‘small window’ for action… We must not let the moment pass.’ This piece also covers Stop Killer Robots civil society forum ‘Action at the Crossroads’, held in Vienna on Sunday 28th April, noting the call from civil society for heads of government to ‘act urgently to prevent digital dehumanization and killing by autonomous weapon system.’ Further coverage of the conference by Austrian media is available here, here, here and here. 
• Argentina/Spanish-speaking Latin America: La IA se enfrenta a su ‘momento Oppenheimer’ durante la carrera armamentista de robots asesinos:  Spanish-language media outlet Infobae covers the Vienna conference here, noting comments around the need for a new international treaty.
• Bangladesh:  FM Hasan Mahmud calls intl community for no more weapons: Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud spoke at the Austrian conference and underscored that ‘machines with the power and discretion to take human lives must be prohibited by legally binding international laws both for AI and autonomous weapons.
• France: Défense: faut-il avoir peur des armes autonomes?  A number of French media outlets cover the Vienna conference, including Radio France International. Further French-language media coverage is available here, here, here and here (at 7’)
• International: Austria calls for rapid regulation as it hosts meeting on ‘killer robots’: A Reuters piece on the Vienna conference highlights Austria’s call for ‘fresh efforts to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in weapons systems’, and quotes Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg, and president of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric, who argued that ‘What we see today in the different contexts of violence are moral failures in the face of the international community. And we do not want to see such failures accelerating by giving the responsibility for violence, for the control over violence, over to machines and algorithms.’ This Reuters piece has also been published by numerous media outlets around the globe.
• Japan/International:  ＡＩ兵器「国際ルール」呼びかけ ウィーンで会議: Kyodo News’ report on the Vienna conference, noting comments from Minister Schallenberg. The Japan Times also features a Bloomberg report (in English) on the Austrian conference and summarises the overwhelming support and urgency for a legally binding instrument. 
• Middle East: انطلاق مؤتمر دولي حول أنظمة الأسلحة ذاتية التشغيل في فيينا  Arabic-language outlet Asharq Al-Awsat also covers the Vienna conference, noting the urgency for action. 
• Morocco: Le Maroc souligne la nécessité d’un instrument international réglementant l’utilisation des systèmes d’armes autonomes:  Moroccan news agency MAP covers Morocco’s statement at the conference, highlighting Morocco’s stance that ‘an international instrument regulating the use of autonomous weapons systems is more necessary than ever.’
• International: Further coverage of the conference is available at the following links (note that this is not an exhaustive list): Austria Urges Global Action on ‘Killer Robots’ as AI Weapon Concerns Rise; Politicians call for ban on ‘killer robots’ and the curbing of AI weapons; Lawmakers call for ban on killer machines and regulation of AI weapons; Vienna conference urges regulation of AI weapons