Artificial intelligence (AI) is influencing and changing our world fundamentally.

We are aware that AI will drastically impact the future of military operations, just as it impacts the way we work and live. Militaries are increasing their use of AI across a range of applications and contexts.

AI offers great opportunities and has extraordinary potential as an enabling technology, enabling us among other benefits to make powerful use of previously unimaginable quantities of data and improving decision-making. However, we recognise that there are also risks involved, many of which we cannot foresee to date.

There are concerns worldwide around the use of AI in the military domain and about the potential unreliability of AI systems, the issue of human involvement, the lack of clarity with regards to liability and potential unintended consequences, and the risk of unintended escalation within the spectrum of armed force, amongst other potential impacts.

We stress the paramount importance of the responsible use of AI in the military domain, employed in full accordance with international legal obligations and in a way that does not undermine international security, stability and accountability.

With this Call to Action we invite governments, industry, knowledge institutions, international organisations and others to support the following:

We acknowledge the potential impact, including opportunities and challenges, as a result of the rapid adoption of AI systems in the military domain on international security and stability.
We recognise the potential of AI applications in the military domain for a wide variety of purposes, at the service of humanity, including AI applications to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian objects in armed conflicts.
We recognise that we do not and cannot fully comprehend and anticipate the implications and challenges resulting from the introduction of AI across a wide range of applications in the military domain.
We see a need to increasing our comprehension of the impact of AI in the military domain. That includes myth busting as well as improving knowledge and literacy regarding the benefits, risks and limitations of AI in the military domain.
We recognise the work done by many actors on responsible development, deployment and use of military AI, including relevant national strategies, AI principles and international initiatives, and the expertise build-up by different stakeholder groups to effectively respond to the challenges posed by embedding AI in the military domain.
We note that AI can be used to shape and impact decision making, and we will work to ensure that humans remain responsible and accountable for decisions when using AI in the military domain.
We recognise the need to assess the risks involved in the various types of current and future application of various AI techniques in the military domain and the different military contexts in which AI is applied.
We recognise that failure to adopt AI in a timely manner may result in a military disadvantage, while premature adoption without sufficient research, testing and assurance may result in inadvertent harm. We see the need to increase the exchange of lessons learnt regarding risk mitigation practices and procedures.
We stress the importance of a holistic, inclusive and comprehensive approach in addressing the possible impacts, opportunities and challenges of the use of AI in the military domain and the need for all stakeholders, including states, private sector, civil society and academia, to collaborate and exchange information on responsible AI in the military domain.
We affirm that data for AI systems should be collected, used, shared, archived and deleted, as applicable, in ways that are consistent with international law, as well as relevant national, regional and international legal frameworks and data standards. Adequate data protection and data quality governance mechanisms should be established and ensured from the early design phase onwards, including in obtaining and using AI training data.
We realise that due to the distributed nature of military decision making and the complexities of AI systems require us to pay close attention to all stages of development, deployment and use of AI in the military domain. We encourage collaboration between the public and private sector and strive to continue to engage with multiple stakeholders involved in the development, deployment and use of AI in the military domain.
We reiterate the importance of ensuring appropriate safeguards and human oversight of the use of AI systems, bearing in mind human limitations due to constraints in time and capacities.
We recognise that military personnel who utilise AI should sufficiently understand the characteristics of AI systems, the potential consequences of the use of these systems, including consequences resulting from any limitations, such as potential biases in data, thus requiring research, education and training on the manner of user interaction and reliance on the AI systems to avoid an undesirable effect.
We promote the exchange of good practices and lessons learnt among states to increase the mutual comprehension of states’ national frameworks and policies with regard to the use of AI in the military domain. We also affirm the importance of sharing good practices and lessons learnt by the private sector on norms, policies, principles and technological expertise.
We recognise that the implementation of AI in the military domain differs per state. The responsible use of AI in the military domain requires international and multi-stakeholder exchange in order for all states, especially developing countries, to benefit from the opportunities and to address the challenges and risks.
We see a need for a continuation of a balanced international and multi-stakeholder discussion on the benefits, dilemmas, risks and challenges arising from the use of AI in the military domain. We invite the international private sector, academia, civil society and other relevant stakeholders to actively contribute to the discussions at the multilateral level and promote responsible AI in the military domain.

Our call to action:

The technological developments in the area of AI take place primarily in the civil domain. We therefore acknowledge that the introduction of AI in the military domain is a multi-stakeholder challenge. We are committed to continuing the global dialogue on responsible AI in the military domain in a multi-stakeholder and inclusive manner and call on all stakeholders to take their responsibility in contributing to international security and stability in accordance with international law.
We invite states to increase general comprehension of military AI by knowledge-building through research, training courses and capacity-building activities. We encourage states to work together, share knowledge by exchanging good practices and lessons learnt, building their capacity and involve the private sector, civil society and academia to promote responsible AI in the military domain.
We invite states to develop national frameworks, strategies and principles on responsible AI in the military domain.
We welcome initiatives by states, academia, civil society, industry and other stakeholders that promote responsible AI in the military domain.
We support academia, knowledge institutes and think tanks globally to conduct additional research in order to better comprehend the impact, opportunities and challenges of rapidly adopting AI in the military domain, especially in the field of human machine teaming, cognisant of the multifaceted use cases of different AI systems in different military contexts.
We invite academia, knowledge institutes and think tanks to propose methods and contribute to practical solutions to the challenges that the use of AI in the military domain poses, in order to contribute to international security and stability.
We call on the private sector to support and promote the responsible use of AI in the military domain. We encourage the sharing of good practices and policies on responsible use of AI by companies with other stakeholders, especially those good practices and policies that may be relevant to the use of AI in the military domain, bearing in mind national security considerations and restrictions on commercial proprietary information.
We encourage multi-stakeholder dialogue on best practices to guide the development, deployment and use of AI in the military domain to ensure an interdisciplinary discussion throughout of good practices and policies on responsible use of AI in the military domain.
We invite all stakeholders worldwide to join this Call to Action.

Introduction