[ti:Activists Call for International Ban on Fully Autonomous Weapons] [ar:June Simms] [al:Technology Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.21]this is the Technology Report. [00:05.77]An international coalition is calling for a ban [00:11.07]on fully autonomous weapons known as "killer robots." [00:16.75]The 45-member coalition proposed the ban [00:20.95]to governments last month [00:23.06]at a meeting of the United Nations Convention [00:26.57]on Conventional Weapons in Geneva, Switzerland. [00:30.37]The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots [00:33.74]wants the U.N. organization to add fully autonomous weapons [00:39.69]to its work program in 2014. [00:43.99]Scientists have yet to develop fully autonomous killer robots. [00:49.20]However, technology is moving toward increasing autonomy. [00:55.05]Such weapons would identify [00:57.90]and attack targets without human assistance. [01:01.81]Noel Sharkey is a founding member [01:05.21]of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. [01:08.61]He also chairs the International Committee for Robot Arms Control. [01:14.62]Mr Sharkey says autonomous weapons should be banned. [01:20.37]"The big problem for me is that there are no robot systems [01:23.82]that can discriminate between civilian targets and military targets [01:29.40]unless they are very, very clearly marked in some way¡­ [01:32.90]so, the idea of having robots going out into the field [01:35.86]and selecting their own targets is to me, [01:38.06]is just horrifying. It cannot work, " said Sharkey. [01:40.35]Activists say robotic systems with different degrees of autonomy [01:45.41]are already in use by Britain, Israel, [01:49.22]the United States and South Korea. [01:52.80]They believe China and Russia are also moving toward these systems. [01:58.85]Steve Goose is a member of the campaign, [02:02.20]he also directs the Arms Division at Human Rights Watch. [02:07.20]He warns the killer robots will become a reality [02:12.06]unless governments act now to ban them. [02:15.66]He says the world should oppose the weapons system [02:20.33]that would be able to identify and attack targets mechanically. [02:25.83]He believes such a system crosses a basic moral and ethical line. [02:32.08]"Robotic weapons systems should not make life [02:35.34]and death decisions on the battlefield. [02:37.37]That is simply inherently wrong. [02:39.01]So, they need to be banned on ethical grounds. [02:42.82]We think they also need to be banned on legal grounds. [02:45.72]If and when a killer robot commits a war crime, [02:51.12]violates international humanitarian law¡­ [02:53.94]who would be held accountable, [02:55.29]who would be responsible for that violation?" said Goose. [02:57.44]He adds that in recent months, fully autonomous weapons [03:01.39]have gone from a little known issue to one [03:05.24]that is commanding worldwide attention. [03:08.10]He says that since last May, [03:12.37]34 countries have openly expressed concern [03:17.03]about the dangers the weapons present. [03:20.08]Mr Goose notes that in 1995, [03:24.33]the Convention on Conventional Weapons [03:27.55]added a new policy to the treaty, [03:30.30]which barred the use of blinding lasers. [03:34.11]He believes killer robots could become the second such weapon [03:39.51]to be banned before it is ever used in battle. [03:43.76]And that is the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. [03:49.73]For more about our reports, [03:51.93]visit our website at 51voa.com [03:56.34].I'm June Simms. [03:58.55]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com