128 countries agree on a common text on autonomous weapons systems for the first time, but with no bans or obligations
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The world has agreed only on a common text with no bans or obligations: the attempt to restrict autonomous weapons has not yet become a rule, and development goes on.
At the end of a week-long meeting in Geneva, 128 states party to the Convention on "Inhumane" Weapons adopted by consensus a non-binding document on systems capable of selecting and striking targets on their own. It is the first agreed text after more than ten years of negotiations; it could become the basis for a decision to negotiate a binding treaty at the review conference in November. The US and Russia opposed internationally binding rules, preferring national guidelines; according to Stop Killer Robots, the definitions and protections for civilians were "substantially watered down in the final hours."