‘Killer robots’ are becoming a real threat in Africa

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‘******* robots’ are becoming a real threat in *******

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The use of drones in the Sahel, a region of ******* that has been

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driven by jihadist insurgency for much of the past decade, has become a real problem. In April, for example, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in the Sahel, Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wa al Muslimeen, reportedly

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against a rival militia using drones modified with grenades and mortars in central Mali.

But even more concerning is the fact that their AI-powered variants, which are known as

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(Laws), have been deployed in ******* in recent years. Laws are a

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that can conduct surveillance, select targets and carry out attacks autonomously.

There are worries that these weapons could fall into the hands of ********** groups if their deployment in ******* is scaled up. Several advanced drones have already been lost in counter-terrorism operations both on the continent and elsewhere, due to technical error or insurgent *******.

The US reportedly lost three MQ-9 Reaper drones to the

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in May 2024, and MQ-1 Predator drones in

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and

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in November 2019 and February 2023 respectively.

There are also a number of ethical concerns associated with autonomous weapons. They give machines the freedom and capability to take human life, and they reduce targets to mere data points. Nevertheless, the use of drones that are equipped with AI looks to be on the rise.

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are reportedly using drones that have been integrated with a basic form of AI to help them navigate and avoid being jammed when carrying out attacks inside Russia. ******* is using an AI recommendation system in Gaza called “Lavender” that is designed to use algorithms to identify ****** operatives as targets. And the US has also

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that use AI to find targets for airstrikes in Syria and Yemen.

These are not examples of autonomous weapons. And, at the time of writing, there have only been two cases where autonomous weapons may have been deployed in *******—of which just one occurred in an active combat situation. But the implications of deploying these weapons systems in ******* is still stark.

According to a

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released by the UN in March 2021, forces backed by the Libyan government deployed a drone made in Turkey called Kargu-2 during a battle with ****** militia fighters the previous year. The report says the drone “hunted down and remotely engaged” the fighters, and suggests it may have selected the targets autonomously. The report does not say whether there were any casualties or injuries.

This news is concerning. The Kargu ******* drone generally detonates an explosive charge in close proximity to the target to avoid collateral damage. However, doubts have been

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over the drone’s ability to distinguish legitimate military targets from civilians.

More recently, in May 2024, the US ******** Command

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in Libreville, Gabon, in an exercise with west ******** nations to support their efforts to combat piracy. The drone, which is known as Triton, uses high resolution scanners and sensors to gather intelligence autonomously and carry out countermeasures.

The Triton drone has aerial and maritime variants, and is capable of loitering below water for over a week or carrying out surface operations over a ******* of two weeks.

Regulating autonomous weapons

The prospect of autonomous weapons falling into the hands of ********** groups and militias in the Sahel is alarming. They would introduce a new deadly dimension to an already brutal conflict.

There is a need for legal frameworks that could be used to regulate the growth of these systems and sanction those who contravene such conventions. In December 2023, the UN

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to ban weapons that operate without human oversight by 2026.

Delaying the ban until 2026 will allow the development and use of these weapons to continue. But, in any case, the focus now looks to be

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towards developing voluntary guidelines for best practices rather than imposing a total ban on these systems.

It is up to ******** countries to develop a common position on laws and work with global bodies like the UN to ban their deployment on the continent. Those who manufacture them must find alternative venues to use these lethal machines.

Provided by
The Conversation

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#******* #robots #real #threat #*******

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