An autonomous sentry freezes an "intruder" during a 2006 test of the weapons system by the South Korean military. Fifty-seven scientists from 29 countries have called for a boycott of a top South Korean university because of a new center aimed at using artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster national security. The AI scientists claim the university is developing autonomous weapons, or "killer robots," whereas university officials say the goal of the research is to improve existing defense systems. A web page that has since been removed by the university said the center, to be operated jointly with South Korean defense company Hanwha Systems, would work on "AI-based command and decision systems, composite navigation algorithms for mega-scale unmanned undersea vehicles, AI-based smart aircraft training systems, and AI-based smart object tracking and recognition technology." Toby Walsh, a computer scientist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, who organized the boycott, fears that the research will be applied to autonomous weapons, which can include unmanned flying drones or submarines, cruise missiles, autonomously operated sentry guns, or battlefield robots.

More than 50 AI experts have boycotted a South Korean university, over fears that it could be looking to "accelerate the arms race" by building so-called "killer robots". The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) recently announced the launch of a "Research Center for the Convergence of National Defense and Artificial Intelligence", in partnership with arms company Hanwha Systems. The move suggested that KAIST, which came in 46th place in QS' 2018 rankings of the best universities in the world, was planning to help the arms firm build artificial intelligence-enhanced weapons that could be used by the military. Over 50 AI and robotics researchers have now signed an open letter, calling for the boycott of KAIST. "At a time when the United Nations is discussing how to contain the threat posed to international security by autonomous weapons, it is regrettable that a prestigious institution like KAIST looks to accelerate the arms race to develop such weapons," it reads.

Artificial intelligence experts from 30 countries are boycotting a South Korean university over concerns that a new lab in partnership with a leading defence company could lead to autonomous weapons lacking human control. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is a public research university in Daejeon, South Korea. It is collaborating with defence manufacturer Hanwha Systems, which makes cluster munitions that are banned in 120 countries. Together, KAIST and Hanwha Systems plan to develop "AI-based command and decision systems, composite navigation algorithms for mega-scale unmanned undersea vehicles, AI-based smart aircraft training systems, and AI-based smart object tracking and recognition technology." As researchers and engineers working on artificial intelligence and robotics, we are greatly concerned by the opening of a "Research Center for the Convergence of National Defense and Artificial Intelligence" at KAIST in collaboration with Hanwha Systems, South Korea's leading arms company.