#TechDiplomacyTalk

Technological breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence are leading to far-reaching changes in all industries and spheres of life. One particular development concerns the increasing autonomy in defence and military technology, leading also to the development of autonomous weapons systems (AWS). AWS are understood as weapons that once activated select and apply force to a target without further human intervention. They raise profound legal, security but also ethical questions regarding the role of the human, the human-machine relation, human control and accountability. This #TechDiplomacyTalk aims to shed light on the current state of international debate about autonomous weapon systems by looking specifically at their risks and challenges from the ethical perspective complementing profound concerns from the legal, humanitarian and security angles. The Panel will address the need for international regulation and the role that various constituencies play in this debate and the ways to engage them.
Welcome by Claudia Reinprecht, Focal Point TechDiplomacy Austrian MFA
Introductory speech Director Amb. Alexander Kmentt
Panel discussion, moderated by Claudia Reinprecht
- Elisabeth Hoffberger-Pippan (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt): What is autonomy in weapons systems and what are the specific challenges in technical, legal and ethical terms of these systems?
- Erich Prem (University of Vienna): Ethical and Philosophical Issues in Human-Autonomous Systems Cooperation in the Military Context
- Anja Kaspersen (IEEE): a tech community perspective: how do developers of AI systems see the challenges?
About the Austrian Foreign Ministrys #TechDiplomacyTalks:
The #TechDiplomacyTalks series of the Austrian Foreign Ministry aim to increase capacity and understanding on the implications of new and emerging technologies with a disruptive and transformative character for international law and international relations. These talks seek to contribute to the MFA’s outreach to different communities involved with technology-related issues and allow for the creation of partnerships in areas that are of strategic importance to Austria’s foreign policy. Austria’s #TechDiplomacy builds on Austria’s traditional foreign policy priorities of the primacy of international law, in particular international humanitarian law and human rights. At the interface of foreign policy, technology and innovation, Austria’s #TechDiplomacy aims to create added value beyond the traditional approaches of foreign policy in order to raise Austria’s profile as a trustworthy partner in multilateral global governance and for Austrian business, research, technology and science communities.