Efforts to regulate 'killer robots' are threatened by war in Ukraine

David Hambling is a person.

International attempts to regulate the use of "killer robot" weapons are faltering and may be derailed if they are used in Ukraine.

There are no countries that have used self-guided weapons. They would attack targets without being watched. The creation of binding international agreements to cover the use of weapons of mass destruction is being advocated by arms control groups. World events are holding back progress.

The final meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts will be held in July. The group has been looking at the issue for more than a year. Russia is boycotting the discussions because of its invasion of Ukraine, which makes it impossible for everyone to agree.

According to Gregory Allen at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, there is no chance of a blanket ban on self-guided weapons. The widespread adoption of a code of conduct could be a way for progress.

Directive 3000.09 was introduced in the US in 2012 and is considered to be the first national policy on self-defense. Under a Pentagon requirement, this is being reexamined.

Directive 3000.09 is wrongly seen as outlawing weapons in the US, according to Allen. The aim is to minimize risk to friendly forces or civilians by setting out criteria for weapons that need to be approved. Anti-missile systems and mines are exceptions. The rules are so strict that no system has yet been submitted for review.

Read more: Autonomous killer drones set to be used by Turkey in Syria

It is possible that attitudes will change if Russia uses weapons inUkraine. Russia has weapons that are able to be used autonomously. When a target is detected by the device, these have the ability to wait and attack. Allen doesn't think they have been used autonomously, but he thinks Russia sent similar weapons to its troops in Ukraine. They can find and attack targets. There have been no reports of either of them.

If Russia deploys these weapons, some people in the US government will ask if we need similar capabilities in the future.

According to Mark Gubrud, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, any reports of self-guided weapons being used in Ukraine will increase Western enthusiasm for such weapons.

Directive 3000.09 requires less than 1 in a million errors, which is not likely to be met by the Lancet munitions. It is easier for anti-aircraft missiles to achieve this than it is for weapons that need to distinguish military trucks from other vehicles.

Weapons may meet the criteria. AeroVironment claims to have a system that can identify 32 types of tanks. The operator-controlled Switchblade loitering munitions could be converted to autonomously. Ukrainians are receiving switchblades that could be used to hit Russian positions. AeroVironment acknowledges that ethical issues are raised by fielding such a weapon.

The use of radio-frequency jamming in Ukranian will increase the interest in weapons that don't require a link to be maintained.

The review of Directive 3000.09 is being led by the director of the Pentagon's Emerging Capabilities Policy Office.

Allen says the review of the directive probably won't change much, but may add details on issues like machine learning and when a system needs to be reexamined.

Before publication, the US Department of Defense didn't reply to a request for comment.

There are no international laws or codes of conduct that will stop the development of weapons. Demand for new and better weapons will increase as a result of conflicts such as the one in Ukraine.