So I finally read the UN report which allegedly claims the first use of a lethal autonomous weapon system to kill a person. ( undocs.org/S/2021/229)
I must admit, I am still unclear on why this is the news that has gotten so much traction. 🤔
I must admit, I am still unclear on why this is the news that has gotten so much traction. 🤔
The report states that a convoy in Libya was "hunted down and remotely engaged by the unmanned combat aerial vehicles or the lethal autonomous weapons systems such as the STM Kargu-2 and other loitering munitions." 
This story has been picked up by many news outlets now, first (I think) by the New Scientist.
The thing is, how is this the first time of anything? Loitering munition have been on the battlefield for a while - most notably in Nagorno-Karaback. It seems to me that what's new here isn't the event, but that the UN report calls them lethal autonomous weapon systems.
Don't get me wrong - people can be outraged by this, there are efforts to ban LAWS, that's all right and well. I'm just a bit surprised by the framing? Why this event, why now?
A few more thoughts on this.
First, my N-K point was a bit misleading because this event in Libya took place in March 2020, so before N-K. What I meant was that we've been talking about loitering munition on the battlefield already late last year, so what's different now?
First, my N-K point was a bit misleading because this event in Libya took place in March 2020, so before N-K. What I meant was that we've been talking about loitering munition on the battlefield already late last year, so what's different now?
But looking at the UN report more closely, I find that the claims that this was the first autonomous weapons kill are becoming even less clear, because the report doesn't say this.
Unless I am missing something, the report simply says: loitering munition was present and used, together with other systems.
It's not even clear whether they are connecting casualties to this weapon system use.
It's not even clear whether they are connecting casualties to this weapon system use.
So what I am trying to wrap my head around is why this half paragraph has suddenly become a 'killer robots' headline.
I’m here doing this whole thread, while @drfranksauer only needs one gif. 😅
https://twitter.com/drfranksauer/status/1399768791287046146
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