How AI weapons and drones are outpacing rules of war

Drones are fundamentally changing how war is fought by putting cameras, weapons and increasingly artificial intelligence in the sky. But using unmanned aircraft to attack an adversary isn't new at all. Nearly 200 years ago, Austrian forces sent unmanned hot air balloons loaded with explosives and time fuses to attack Venice. In the past decade, rapid technological advances have supercharged the use of armed drones. The integration of artificial intelligence into some of these platforms is pushing them towards what are called lethal autonomous weapons systems. In other words, they can operate with little or no direct human intervention. It's brought the science fiction notion of killer robots closer to operational reality than ever before. But the There's no legally binding international agreement on autonomous weapons. And countries don't all agree on where human control ends and autonomy begins. Drones are killing people at an unprecedented rate in conflicts around the world. In the war between Ukraine and Russia, drones are causing more deaths than bullets or artillery fire. In Sudan, the UN says more than 80% of civilian deaths were caused by drone strikes at the start of this year. And in Gaza, Israeli forces have used armed drones and quadcopters to kill Palestinians, including journalists and children. It's become the weapon of choice for states and armed groups alike. The UN Human Rights Chief calls it a global shift in how war is waged. Drone warfare is creating what he calls a new circle of hell. But for now, many hope global powers will come together to agree on ethical and legal guardrails that will keep humans in control of life and death decisions.