SIPRI actively contributed to the 2024 edition of the REAIM Summit, which took place on 9–10 September. The Responsible AI in the Military Domain Summit (REAIM) is a multi-stakeholder platform intended to facilitate a global discussion on how to ensure responsible military use of AI. The 2024 edition was held in Seoul, South Korea, and gathered researchers, practitioners, military personnel and representatives from governments and the private sector. SIPRI contributed to the programme with three breakout sessions.
SIPRI and the government of Switzerland co-hosted a panel titled ‘How to Ensure Responsible Use of AI in Military Decision-making—Lessons from the Autonomous Weapon Systems Debate’. Dr Vincent Boulanin, SIPRI Programme Director, moderated the discussion with a panel that included Dustin A. Lewis, Associate Senior Researcher at SIPRI and Research Director at the Harvard Law School. During the panel, participants discussed what the debate on AI in military decision-making can learn from the policy process on autonomous weapon systems. The venue reached full capacity, underscoring the relevance of this topic and the widespread engagement with SIPRI’s work. High-level policy-relevant attendees included Dr Markus Mäder, Swiss State Secretary for Security Policy.
In addition to this session, SIPRI and the German Federal Foreign Office hosted another panel on the topic ‘Bias in Military AI and Compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL)’. Compliance with IHL is a key element of responsible military AI. Despite this, the impact of how biases in AI-enabled weapons and decision support systems might affect compliance with IHL remains largely overlooked. Laura Bruun, SIPRI Researcher, moderated the discussion with Dr Marta Bo, Associate Senior Researcher at SIPRI and Researcher at the University of Amsterdam-Asser Institute, as a panellist. Dr Bo gave a follow-up TV interview to the media outlets interested in this important topic.
SIPRI was also engaged in a panel on ‘Promoting the Responsible Use of Military AI Through the Application of Export Control Laws and Regulations’. The session explored how multilateral and national export control regimes contribute to the responsible use of military AI. Panellists included Dr Mark Bromley, SIPRI Programme Director; and Jules Palayer, SIPRI Research Assistant.
About SIPRI’s work on the governance of artificial intelligence
SIPRI’s research programme on the governance of AI explores how advances in AI could undermine or enhance peace and security and fuel and transform conflicts and how the associated risks can be dealt with through existing or new governance frameworks. The research aims to produce informative and evidence-based analysis and recommendations for policymakers and facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues involving experts from governments, the private sector and experts from different regions and disciplines.
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