This event is part of the AI for Good conference. The sessions will take place right at the State of Geneva’s booth.
1. Why Now
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly being integrated into military operations, thereby enhancing the speed and scale of warfare. Indeed, AI systems are being used to process intelligence, identify and locate targets and increasingly to automate the killing or the destruction of infrastructure. To date there are no international regulations in place to govern the development and use of these technologies, and their use is already cause for concern in terms of humanitarian consequences, global security, legal and accountability gaps.
We are at a rare and time-sensitive inflection point.
- In November 2026, the Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) will give States an opportunity to adopt a negotiation mandate — potentially the first concrete multilateral step toward a new legal instrument on autonomous weapons systems.
- In June 2026, the first informal UNGA consultations on AI in the military domain took place in Geneva, signalling growing political will — but no established process yet exists.
2. Why it is important
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) — the body of rules governing the conduct of hostilities — was developed for a world in which human beings made decisions about the use of force. Its core principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution rest on the assumption of human judgement and accountability.
AI fundamentally challenges these assumptions. Key concerns include:
- Meaningful human control: At what point does the speed, complexity, or opacity of an AI system effectively remove meaningful human oversight from life-and-death decisions?
- Accountability challenges: When the use of an autonomous weapon results in unlawful harm, who bears legal responsibility — the programmer, the commander, the state?
- Global security: the lack of regulation contributes to an ongoing arms race between great powers, and reduces the threshold with which a state could go to war.
3. Lightning talks: Format and Objectives
This challenge sits at the intersection of technology, law, ethics, geopolitics, and humanitarian practice. Geneva hosts a unique ecosystem that brings together the diplomatic community, technical and security experts, the UN and the ICRC as well as civil society working on these issues. The event format is designed to reflect that reality.
Guests:
- Mr. Dr. Jean-Marc Rickli, Head of Global and Emerging Risks, Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP)
- Ms. Heidi Kandiel, lawyer at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- Ms. Tina Gewiss, Regional head of program and development for Eurasia, Geneva call
- Ms. Nicole van Rooijen, Director, Stop Killer Robots
Moderator: Ms. Anne de Riedmatten, Deputy director, Directorate of International Affairs, Republic and Canton of Geneva