The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) ratcheted up a joint call for countries to adopt bans and restrictions on the use of autonomous weapons systems — often known as “killer robots” — warning that “the risks have intensified”.
“The fundamental concerns remain unchanged, but the risks have intensified. “When the architects of this technology are calling for limits, states cannot afford to remain passive.
The organisations said, however, that civilians need to be protected for when that day may come. “We are now dangerously close to crossing a moral red line: The autonomous targeting of humans by machines,” said UN Geneva spokesperson Alessandra Vellucci, reading a joint statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. “Today, we renew this call with even greater urgency,” the statement said. The two international organisations say the development of weapons technology at “record speed” has strained the international rules system and widened the gap between technological capacities and regulatory constraints. “Autonomous weapons systems are not part of a distant future — a race toward greater autonomy in weapons systems is already well underway,” the joint statement said. “Scientists and engineers developing these systems have themselves raised the alarm,” the organisations said. “This year must mark a turning point,” the statement said.
