World must rein in autonomous weapons, UN and Red Cross chiefs say

Published on

25/08/2026 - 11:29 GMT+2

The United Nations and the Red Cross warned on Tuesday that the world is "dangerously close" to a future where autonomous weapons, so-called "killer robots," could target humans and issued an urgent appeal for international regulations.

The warning follows a call in 2023 from UN Secretary General António Guterres and Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, for countries to establish specific bans and restrictions on the rapidly developing technology by this year.

"Today, we renew this call with even greater urgency," they said in a joint statement, adding that while their "fundamental concerns remain unchanged...the risks have intensified".