US Among 60 Countries to Sign AI Military Use Blueprint, China Opts Out

South Korea hosted the second-ever Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain summit on Sept. 9 and 10, during which 60 countries, including the United States, signed a “blueprint for action” regarding the use of AI in the military.
More than 90 countries were in attendance, and China was among the nations that did not endorse the ethical guidelines.
Among the details in this year’s blueprint were specific points on AI-enabled drone usage, risk assessment guidelines, the importance of maintaining human control, and preventing AI from being used to proliferate weapons of mass destruction.
Netherlands Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said progress is being made but acknowledged, “we will never have the whole world on board.”
“How do we deal with the fact that not everyone is complying? … That is a complicated dilemma that we should also put on the table,” Brekelmans said.
Giacomo Persi Paoli, head of security and technology at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, said countries should engage with one another between summits to mitigate risks. The United Nations has also discussed creating international guidelines for lethal autonomous weapons.
“The blueprint is an incremental step forward,” Paoli said. “By going too fast, too soon, there is a very high risk that many countries do not want to engage.”
While the blueprint is not a legally binding document, China’s decision to opt out follows a pattern.