AI and robotics researchers call off boycott of KAIST

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A boycott by global AI & robotics researchers of South Korea’s KAIST has been called off after the university’s president committed not to develop lethal autonomous weapons.

KAIST

AI and robotics researchers have ended a boycott of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology over the opening of an AI weapons lab in collaboration with Hanwha Systems.

At the opening of the Research Centre for the Convergence of National Defence and Artificial Intelligence, it was reported that KAIST was joining the global competition to develop autonomous arms by developing weapons that could search for and eliminate targets without human control.

“KAIST does not have any intention to engage in development of lethal autonomous weapons systems and killer robots,” said KAIST’s president, Professor Sung-Chul Shin, in response to the boycott. “KAIST will not conduct any research activities counter to human dignity including autonomous weapons lacking meaningful human control.”

Boycott instigator Toby Walsh, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said: “There are plenty of good applications for AI, even in a military setting.

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