US Rejects "Killer Robots" Agreement; Proposes Code Of Conduct At UN

Speaking at a meeting in Geneva focused on finding common ground on the use of such so-called lethal autonomous weapons, a US official balked at the idea of regulating their use through a "legally-binding instrument".

Rejecting calls for a binding agreement regulating or banning the use of weapons often dubbed killer robots, Washington instead proposed at the United Nations on Thursday a "code of conduct".

Speaking at a meeting in Geneva focused on finding common ground on the use of such so-called lethal autonomous weapons, a US official balked at the idea of regulating their use through a "legally-binding instrument".

The meeting saw governmental experts preparing for high-level talks at a review conference on the Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons from December 13-17.

"In our view, the best way to make progress... would be through the development of a non-binding code of conduct," US official Josh Dorosin told the meeting.