Global Leaders Convene in Seoul for Responsible Military AI Summit

South Korea hosted an international summit to draft guidelines for responsible AI use in the military. Representatives from over 90 countries, including the U.S. and China, attended. Discussions focused on setting minimum standards and principles, yet no binding commitments were expected. The summit emphasized multi-stakeholder involvement in AI governance.

On Monday, South Korea convened an international summit aiming to establish guidelines for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the military. While any agreement formed at the summit will likely lack binding enforcement power, more than 90 countries, including the United States and China, dispatched government representatives to Seoul for the two-day event.

During last year's inaugural summit in Amsterdam, the U.S., China, and other nations endorsed a modest 'call to action' that carried no legal obligations. This year's summit aims to create a blueprint with minimum guard-rails and principles for AI use in military applications. A South Korean official noted the importance of converging existing principles set by entities like NATO and the U.S.

Additionally, the summit takes place amid broader international discussions on AI in the military. U.N. member states under the 1983 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons are already deliberating on potential restrictions on lethal autonomous weapons. Last year, the U.S. also launched a declaration on responsible AI use in the military, endorsed by 55 countries as of August. The Seoul summit, co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, strives to ensure extensive multi-stakeholder involvement in AI governance.

(With inputs from agencies.)