BOAO, Hainan, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The act of killing in war should always be a human decision, not one made by artificial intelligence (AI), said a high-ranking official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday, who sees AI as both a concern and an opportunity for humanitarian aid in war zones.
AI is one of the keywords of this year's Boao Forum for Asia in south China's Hainan Province. As entrepreneurs and policymakers are discussing how to use AI to boost the productivity and well-being of mankind, Balthasar Staehelin, head of the ICRC's Regional Delegation for East Asia voiced concern about AI's application in weapon systems.
Staehelin, also personal envoy of the ICRC president to China, told Xinhua in an interview on the sidelines of the Boao Forum that there is a high risk of AI being used in weapon systems, which are becoming more and more autonomous.
"Our concern is that the act of killing should always be a human decision. I don't think we should designate that act to software that is then cut loose. That would be a very dangerous world and it poses all sorts of ethical problems," said Staehelin, who called for robust discussion about the issue.
Staehelin also warned of the risks posed by AI-generated disinformation and misinformation, which can endanger vulnerable populations. He noted, for instance, that harmful information about communicable diseases can be more dangerous than the epidemic itself.
However, Staehelin noted, it is like two sides of the same coin and AI as a tool has greatly helped the ICRC's humanitarian actions in Africa and other parts of the world. According to him, ICRC uses AI to match people looking for displaced family members, as the names may be spelled slightly different in Arabic.
"You often have very incomplete thousands of data sets and AI can also help you to sort out and calculate probabilities and help us to match that faster," said Staehelin.
AI has also been used in mine clearance. Low-flying drones equipped with AI technology can help detect mines, which is far more efficient than previous methods. In combination with AI and satellites, humanitarian workers can calculate faster and more efficiently the possible needs of population movements, to look for the best safe access or to map water points.
"But we also have a downside," said Staehelin. "In a war, certain data of people could suddenly be misused to target or kill them. We have to be absolutely sure that this data has never been used against them. If we allow this to happen, we would destroy the trust of the people."
Staehelin said China is a leading nation in technology on AI, and he believed that there are a lot of opportunities for partnership and cooperation between the ICRC and China.
Noting that this year the ICRC regional delegation will celebrate 20 years of establishment in Beijing, Staehelin said the cooperation between ICRC and China is multifold, expressing appreciations to China's contributions to galvanizing political commitment to international humanitarian law and the country's efforts in offering mediation to bring conflicts to an end in the Middle East and other parts of the world. ■
