The world's top diplomat has called for setting a clear line on how far AI should be taken in war. Speaking in Geneva on Monday at the opening of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged countries to outlaw "lethal autonomous weapons," the Wall Street Journal reports. He said machines that can pick targets and kill without human judgment are morally repugnant and should be banned under international law. "Let us call them what they are: killer robots," Guterres said, warning that some choices—especially taking a life—must "remain forever human."
Militaries are rapidly folding AI into both battlefield operations and command centers, and a broader political fight over AI safety is hearing up. Startup Anthropic is locked in a court battle with the Pentagon after seeking guarantees that its models wouldn't be used for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance; the Defense Department pushed back, insisting on access for any lawful use. Pope Leo XIV has argued that AI weapons could make war easier to wage and harder to control. Advocates say human commanders will still be in charge and simply benefit from AI's speed and precision.
Others counter that errors—and the risk of ceding control to machines—make that a gamble the world shouldn't take. Saying AI technology is advancing at "runaway speed," Guterres warned that "an experiment is being run on our own societies, without a plan and without consent," per France 24. "That is not sustainable," he said. The event has more than 4,000 participants representing governments, academia, tech companies, and other sectors.
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