Related news: Emerging military and security technologies

On 14–15 February, SIPRI and the UNODA convened a workshop on AI.

On 22–23 January, SIPRI hosted an in-person scenario exercise to discuss the limits and requirements for the development and use of autonomous weapons systems (AWS).

On 16–17 November, SIPRI and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) organized a two-day capacity-building workshop on ‘Responsible AI for Peace and Security’ for a select group of STEM students. 

The workshop, the first in a series of four, aimed to provide up-and-coming artificial intelligence (AI) practitioners the opportunity to learn how to address the risks that civilian AI research and innovation may generate for international peace and security.  

On 13–14 September, SIPRI and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) held the first of two multi-stakeholder dialogues on ‘Responsible AI for Peace and Security’. Fifteen experts from industry, academia, civil society and government gathered online for two days of discussion. Participants explored how peaceful civilian AI research and innovation may present risks for peace and security, mapped potential misuse scenarios and considered how aware the civilian AI community is of these risks.

This month SIPRI and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) launched a three-year joint initiative on responsible innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) for peace and security.

SIPRI actively engaged in and contributed with two breakout sessions at the first summit on Responsible AI in the Military Domain, REAIM 2023. The summit was held on 15–16 February in The Hague.

On 17–18 January 2023, SIPRI hosted an expert workshop as part of its work on developing a toolkit for practicing responsible biological science, targeting academics and researchers in the life sciences.

On 6–8 December 2022, SIPRI and the European Union Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC) hosted an intensive introductory course on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), mechanisms to control their further spread and pathways to disarmament.

On 2 December, SIPRI and the Government of the United Kingdom co-hosted a side event in Geneva at the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention entitled ‘Biorisk Awareness Across Stakeholder Communities’.

On 10–11 November, SIPRI hosted an expert workshop entitled ‘Compliance with IHL in the Development and Use of AWS’.

On 2­–3 November 2022, SIPRI, in cooperation with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) America, hosted a closed-door, in-person expert workshop on ‘Cyber Postures and Dynamics: China, Russia, United States and Europe’ in Washington, DC.

SIPRI and the  European Union Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC) are pleased to host an intensive introductory course on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), mechanisms to control their further spread and pathways to disarmament.

On 28 August–2 September, SIPRI and the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament at Uppsala University, in cooperation with the Odessa Center for Nonproliferation (ODCNP), hosted the 2022 Armament and Disarmament Summer School.

On 8–10 September, SIPRI actively participated in the 2021 Science Peace Security Conference.

On 29 June, SIPRI hosted an online briefing to coincide with the launch of the report ‘Autonomous Weapon Systems and International Humanitarian Law: Identifying Limits and the Required Type and Degree of Human–Machine Interaction’.

On 17 May, SIPRI’s Dr Vincent Boulanin participated in a virtual United Nations Security Council Arria-formula meeting entitled ‘The Impact of Emerging Technologies on International Peace and Security’.

On 21–22 April, SIPRI actively participated in the Second German National Dialogue Forum on the Biological Weapons Convention. The event was organized by the German Federal Foreign Office and was held in a virtual format.

On 5–6 November, SIPRI was a thematic partner to the international conference on ‘2020. Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control’.

Cyber-incident management strategies should prioritize making systems—and societies—more robust and resilient to a broad range of cyber risks, rather than focus narrowly on preventing and responding to cyberattacks, argues a new SIPRI Policy Paper released today.

As part of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC), SIPRI played an active role during its ninth consultative meeting, held virtually on 10–11 September.

On 27 August, SIPRI and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) co-hosted a webinar on ‘The Tenth NPT Review Conference: Effective Measures for Nuclear Disarmament’.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) contribute to nuclear risk according to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The authors warn that nuclear-armed states’ competition in military AI and premature adoption of AI in nuclear weapons and related capabilities could have a negative impact on strategic stability and increase the likelihood of nuclear weapon use. The report proposes AI-specific nuclear risk reduction measures and is now available now.

A new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) identifies where controls on autonomous weapon systems must be placed.

SIPRI is pleased to announce the launch of a new SIPRI Reflection film that takes stock of the challenges posed by autonomy in weapons systems and explores how these challenges might be addressed by states.

On 24 February, SIPRI and the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul jointly held a launch event for the report ‘The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Risk—Volume II: East Asian Perspectives’.

SIPRI played an active role at the conference and hosted a roundtable discussion on the theme ‘Artificial Intelligence and Strategic Stability’, chaired by Dan Smith, SIPRI Director, and Dr Sibylle Bauer, Director of Studies, Armament and Disarmament.

On 7 June, Kolja Brockmann, Researcher in the SIPRI Dual-use and Arms Trade Control Programme, briefed the annual plenary meeting of the Australia Group.

SIPRI discussed two new reports at the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, held at the United Nations in New York on 29 April–10 May 2019.

The reports cover perspectives on the impact of artificial intelligence on strategic stability and nuclear risk, and the operationalization of nuclear disarmament verification.

On 8–9 May, SIPRI, in partnership with the EastWest Institute, held the fourth and final in a series of workshops on ‘Mapping the Impact of Machine Learning and Autonomy on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Risk’, at the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Ahead of the 2019 Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York, SIPRI is pleased to announce the release of a new edited volume, the first in a trilogy on regional perspectives, ‘The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Risk: Euro-Atlantic Perspectives’. Companion volumes offering perspectives from East Asia and South Asia are forthcoming.

SIPRI was a thematic partner to an international conference on arms control and technology at the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.

(Berlin/Stockholm, 14 March 2019) Advances in additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence and robotics could increase the possibilities for the development, production and use of biological weapons. The existing biological arms control and non-proliferation governance framework needs to be adapted to address these security risks, according to a new report from SIPRI.

On 25–26 February, SIPRI, in partnership with the Pathfinder Foundation in Colombo, Sri Lanka, held the third in a series of workshops on ‘Mapping the Impact of Machine Learning and Autonomy on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Risk’.

Based on expert interviews at the 2018 Stockholm Security Conference, SIPRI has produced a new film series—‘Exploring the security risks posed by newly emerged technologies’—that is out today.

On 6–7 September, SIPRI, in partnership with CICIR, held the second in a series of workshops on ‘Mapping the Impact of Machine Learning and Autonomy on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Risk.’

On 22–23 May, SIPRI held the first in a series of workshops on ‘Mapping the impact of machine learning and autonomy on strategic stability and nuclear risk’ in Stockholm.

SIPRI is pleased to announce the publication of two new papers, entitled ‘The challenge of software and technology transfers to non-proliferation efforts: Implementing and complying with export controls’ and ‘The challenge of emerging technologies to non-proliferation efforts: Controlling additive manufacturing and intangible transfers of technology’.

SIPRI had an active and engaged presence at this year's Munich Security Conference, 16-18 February. 

SIPRI hosted a roundtable discussion, entitled ‘Emerging Technologies: Time to Reboot Arms Control?’, which considered the risks to peace and security posed by new technologies and what potential solutions or avenues for cooperation states can work towards.

This event hosted 12 leading academic, official, technical and legal cyber security experts from Estonia, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as an audience of over 30 ambassadors, defence attachés, senior scientists, and industry experts to discuss definitions and threats to critical infrastructure, case studies of cyber intrusions and attacks, as well as concrete ways forward on national, regional and international cooperation.

SIPRI launches a new Background Paper ‘3D printing and missile technology controls’, originally part of a compendium of research papers compiled by the Missile Technology Control Regime on the occasion of their 30th anniversary.

SIPRI launches a new report, Mapping the Development of Autonomy in Weapon Systems, which aims to shed light on the current developments in autonomy in weapon systems and thereby provide important insights for informed international discussions.

Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded SIPRI researchers one of its eight grants for addressing emerging threats in nuclear security.

The conference provided relevant practitioners and civil society experts with an opportunity to learn about new technologies; discuss the technical, legal and operational issues raised by emerging technologies in the context of Article 36 reviews; and identify concrete solutions to help to strengthen compliance with the requirements of Article 36.

New publication from the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium on the technical limitations of 3D printing technology.

Dr Lora Saalman talked to Swedish Radio about cyberwarfare.

Dr Lora Saalman presented her work on deterrence frameworks in cyberspace at the 15th PIIC Beijing Seminar on International Security.

Abstract submissions are now open for presentations at the Autonomous Technologies and their Societal Impact workshop.

On 8–14 November, SIPRI will convene the seventh annual Stockholm Security Conference, this year under the heading of ‘Trends of Conflict and Warfare in the 21st Century: Effects and Impact of the War in Ukraine’.

This workshop will host Japanese, European and US experts from technical, industry, legal and academic communities to explore cyber definitions, cases of cyber intrusion and attack, as well as response and cooperation at the national, regional and international level.

This webinar brings together a distinguished panel of technical and policy experts to discuss the challenges additive manufacturing (AM) poses to export controls, and how they can be addressed through national and multilateral export control instruments such as the MTCR.

SIPRI will host a workshop on autonomous technologies and their societal impact, covering technological, environmental, cultural, structural, political and socio-economic factors.