South Korea Global Summit proposes limitations to AI use in the military

South Korea hosted an international summit in Seoul on Monday. The summit’s purpose was to discuss plans for responsible artificial intelligence use in the military. However, there will be no power to enforce the agreement on any country.

The South Korea Global Summit was co-sponsored by the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. The summit had a manifest to ensure the private sector starts discussions with multi-stakeholders about technological development, with governments as the main decision-makers. 

More than 90 countries participated in the summit. China and the United States also sent official government representatives. The South Korea Global Summit, which lasted two days, is happening for the second time.

The first summit took place last year in Amsterdam. During this year’s summit, China, and the US along with other countries, encouraged a call to action. Although there was no legal agreement of any sort.

 “Recently, in the Russia-Ukraine war, an AI-applied Ukrainian drone functioned as David’s slingshot,” – Kim Yong-hyun, South Korean Defense Minister 

The defense minister of South Korea delivered the opening address. He referred to Ukrainian technological advancement efforts against Russia by introducing AI-enabled drones. These drones were expected to overcome signal jamming and also enable UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to promote working in larger groups. 

South Korean defense minister calls AI “double-edged sword” 

“As AI is applied to the military domain, the military’s operational capabilities are dramatically improved. However it is like a double-edged sword, as it can cause damage from abuse” – Defense Minister South Korea

Cho Tae-yul, the South Korean Foreign Minister, shared that the discussions were based on topics such as reviewing compliance with international law and proposing necessary actions to prevent using AI to make decisions with life and death implications without human guidance. 

An agreement was expected at the South Korea Global Summit to develop minimum requirements for artificial intelligence use in the military as well as to suggest guidelines for responsible use. These guidelines reflected the recommendations put forward by NATO, the US, and other countries. 

The number of countries in the summit who will endorse the document on Tuesday remains unclear. The document aims for a detailed guideline. These guidelines should set limitations on the use of artificial intelligence in the military. However, the document still lacks any legal commitments. 

South Korea Global Summit discussed other topics as well

The discussion on restricting dangerous autonomous weapons complying with international humanitarian law was also put forward. These restrictions were discussed by UN countries belonging to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons 1983. 

Last year, the US government also released a declaration for using AI in the military with responsibility. This declaration has been endorsed by 55 countries. 

Over 2000 people globally attended the South Korea Global Summit, including representatives from the private sector, academia, and international organizations. Interest was focused on protecting civilians and using AI to control nuclear weapons.