'First of all, we are working to build consensus on what should and should not be allowed in the field of autonomous weapons… Our position on this has always been very clear. All weapon systems should comply with international law, and humans must always remain in control of the use of lethal force', Mogherini was quoted as saying in a press release.
READ MORE: Warfare Will Be Revolutionized: UN Debates Autonomous Weapons, Many Call for Ban
The EU official noted that the United Nations was working to develop a framework for the use of autonomous weapons and regulate the work of scientists researching on artificial intelligence.
She also expressed concerns over the EU member states' reduced investment in defence research.
'Supporting innovation is not just important for our economies, it is also essential today for our security. This is also true with artificial intelligence; almost 50% of global private investments in artificial intelligence start-ups is today happening in China. We, Europeans, simply cannot afford wasting time, and we cannot afford to be less innovative than other world powers', Mogherini stressed.
Earlier on Thursday, the annual conference of the European Defence Agency, dubbed 'From Unmanned to Autonomous Systems: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities', was held in Brussels.
READ MORE: The Future of War: Autonomous AI and the Threat of ‘Killer Robots’ — Report
