20261019 Für ein Verbot autonomer Waffensysteme

19.10.2026 Für ein Verbot autonomer Waffensysteme

Mankind has to decide

Defense Minister Pistorius wants more and "better" drones. And these drones are also supposed to be "intelligent" — that is, they should decide for themselves how to reach their target and what to do if that is not possible. Drones are particularly dangerous because of their lethal capabilities, but even AI that merely regulates traffic or ensures balanced load distribution in the power grid must never act on its own initiative.

Now that the EU has taken a leading role with the AI Act, there must also be binding rules for autonomous machines. The EU AI Act is a first step and is also open to criticism in many respects — we did just that two years ago.

As far back as 5 years ago, we spoke out against autonomous weapons systems. In the meantime, a committee has been established at the UN level, which has so far tried in vain to create global regulations for this. Now, WeMove.eu has launched another petition that aims not only to address the military use of autonomous machines but also to establish general regulations for "robots." We all surely remember the laws of robotics, which were defined decades ago in a science fiction novel. As we reported in our foundational article on artificial intelligence, Christian Stöcker in "Der Spiegel" once again raised the call for robot laws.

The WeMove.eu petition also takes the use of AI in war as its starting point. Even the use of AI in selecting targets — not least because of the sheer number of targets, such as over 50 per minute in Gaza, without any possibility of human oversight — violates international humanitarian law. WeMove.eu explains the rationale behind its petition as follows:

Killer robots — machines that decide who lives and who dies. Children as "collateral damage" in AI-driven wars. This is not a problem of the distant future. It’s happening right now. And currently, there is no law to prevent it. A UN expert warns: "We are dangerously close to crossing a moral red line."

A machine must never decide who lives and who dies

In just a few weeks, heads of state and government will meet in person to discuss whether the drafting of the first global rules for killer robots should begin. Sign now and call on Europe to draw a clear line: People, not machines, must remain in control.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)