Leading AI companies and researchers pledge to not develop lethal autonomous weapons

More than 2,400 researchers, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and others have signed a pledge – organised by the Future of Life Institute (FLI) – promising not to develop lethal autonomous weapons. In addition to many prominent individuals, the list of signatories also includes over 160 AI-related firms and organisations from around the world – such as Google DeepMind, XPRIZE Foundation, University College London, the European Association for AI (EurAI), Swedish AI Society (SAIS), ClearPath Robotics and OTTO Motors. The pledge is being announced today at the annual International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) in Sweden, which draws over 5,000 of the world's leading AI researchers. Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to play an increasing role in military systems. There is an urgent opportunity and necessity for citizens, policymakers, and leaders to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI.