China and many countries disagree to sign agreement at AI military conference

About 60 countries, including the United States, signed an “action plan” on Tuesday to regulate the responsible use of AI on the battlefield. However, about 30 countries, including China, attending the conference in South Korea did not support the document.

Dozens of countries have adopted a set of guidelines for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in combat. Photo: AP

The guidelines stress that all military applications of AI need to be “ethical and human-centered.” The document calls for risk assessments and the importance of maintaining human control.

“Appropriate human involvement must be ensured in the development, deployment and use of AI in the military domain, including measures relating to human judgment and control over the use of force,” the guidance reads.

The Dutch government said the conference focused on providing “actionable” guidance, including discussing practical developments such as Ukraine’s deployment of AI-equipped drones.

One of the new additions to the document is preventing AI from being used to proliferate weapons of mass destruction by terrorist organizations.

Ukraine, along with NATO members France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, signed the agreement. Russia was not invited to the conference.

The Seoul conference is the second after the first one in The Hague, Netherlands last year. Last year's conference saw about 60 countries, including China, back a "call to action" without any legal commitments.

“We are taking concrete steps,” said Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. “Last year we created a common understanding, now we are moving towards action.”

Giacomo Persi Paoli, head of the Security and Technology Programme at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), said that introducing the rules too quickly could discourage many countries from participating.

The Seoul conference, co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya and the UK, aims to promote multilateral discussions that are not dominated by any one country or organization.

Hong Hanh (according to DW, AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/trung-quoc-va-nhieu-quoc-gia-khong-dong-y-ky-thoa-thuan-tai-hoi-nghi-quan-su-ai-post311728.html