UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday voiced concern over reports of the Israeli military using artificial intelligence (AI) in its bombing in Gaza during his address from UN Headquarters in New York to the media after six months of Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Mentioning Sunday will mark six months of the conflict, Guterres first said Israel has brought death and destruction to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“More than half the population, over a million people, are facing catastrophic hunger. Children in Gaza today are dying for lack of food and water. This is incomprehensible, and entirely avoidable. Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” said Guterres.
He then noted that he was deeply troubled by reports of the Israeli military’s use of artificial intelligence.
“I am also deeply troubled by reports that the Israeli military’s bombing campaign includes artificial intelligence as a tool in the identification of targets, particularly in densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties. No part of life and death decisions which impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms,” Guterres said.
“I have warned for many years of the dangers of weaponization [of] artificial Intelligence and reducing the essential role of human agency. AI should be used as a force for good to benefit the world, not to contribute to waging war on an industrial level, blurring accountability,” said Guterres.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.
As of Friday, the total death toll has risen to 33,091 and injuries to 75,750 in the Gaza Strip, since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out.
(Reuters)
