Robots Fighting Wars: Vox Creative Launches Explainer Video for the ICRC

Vox Media’s Explainer Studio and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have teamed up for the first time to explore and unpack one of the thorniest and most pressing issues of our time: the rise of lethal autonomous weapons.

The video, entitled 'The Paradox of the Future Battlefield,' went live, 8th of May and examines the need for humans to maintain meaningful and effective control over autonomous weapons, which, left unchecked, could one day wind up making life-and-death decisions on the battlefield without human intervention.

“Unless governments take action to agree on limits on autonomy in weapons, responsibility for the use of force and the taking of lives risks being delegated to computer algorithms,” says Neil Davison, Scientific and Policy Advisor in the ICRC’s Arms Unit, and an expert on autonomous weapons.

Davison is featured in the Vox video, along with Peter W. Singer, a Senior Fellow at New America and the Author of 'Ghost Fleet – A Novel of the Next World War.'

The Explainer – the first Vox Creative has done in collaboration with an international aid organisation – takes viewers through the history of arms development and underscores the importance of limits on autonomy, in compliance with both international legal requirements and ethical standards.

“We were excited to team up with the ICRC," says Daniel Littlewood, Supervising Producer of The Explainer Studio. "Their work on the frontlines of battlefields around the world, navigating complex conflicts, is inspiring. Our team loved getting to dig into the complicated issue of autonomous weapons through our signature style, which combines intensive research with a mix of video, photos, audio and graphics. The Vox Media Explainer Studio launched in fall 2017 with the aim of connecting organisations and businesses with inquisitive audiences that want deeper context. This project is an example of that."

It’s hoped the video will generate attention around the issue of autonomous weapons and other challenges linked to new technologies and conflict ahead of a meeting of government experts in August.