Stop Killer Robots accepts Golden Dove for Peace Award

Stop Killer Robots was awarded Archivio Disarmo’s Golden Dove for Peace Award at a ceremony in Rome’s Hall of the Protomoteca on Saturday, 12 October. The award is given to an international figure or organisation that has made a significant contribution to the cause of peace. Previous winners include the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (2017), Nelson Mandela (1987), and Amnesty International (1991). 

Founded in 2012, the Stop Killer Robots campaign has worked for over a decade to ensure that there is meaningful human control in the use of force, calling for the creation of new international law to regulate autonomy in weapons systems. We believe that setting legal standards through the creation of a treaty is critical to ensuring peace and global stability. 

In 2023, the coalition of over 250 civil society organisations in 70 countries successfully lobbied states to adopt the first ever UN resolution on autonomous weapons, which was adopted by the overwhelming majority of states. Further, in the last two years, cross-regional support has manifested through a number of declarations adopted on autonomous weapons which underscore their legal, ethical, humanitarian impacts and the need for new international law. 

Over the last twelve months, the humanitarian consequences of automated harm are becoming more tangible. There have been increasing reports on the use of military AI and weapons with autonomous capabilities in ongoing conflicts, including Gaza and Ukraine. The dehumanisation and killing of people by AI or automated technologies in military contexts is abhorrent and will also have significant consequences for policing, border control, and wider society.

The 79th UN General Assembly is currently underway, offering states the chance to act with urgency and show continued political leadership on this issue. In accepting this year’s Golden Dove for Peace Award, we hope that the highlighting of our work on autonomous weapons further signals the importance of the need to act now to build peace and safeguard humanity. 

Campaign Vice-Chair Dr. Peter Asaro, who accepted the award on the Campaign’s behalf, said: 

“In this time of global crisis and conflict, it is more necessary than ever that countries work together to find common ground and agreement, and reaffirm faith in international cooperation and respect for international norms and laws. We also hope that such a treaty on autonomous weapons could be a model for the global governance of artificial intelligence beyond its use in weapons and the military. The risks to humanity if we fail to reach such agreement and adopt a legally binding treaty are too great to let our fears and distrust continue to stall the process.”

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• Read the the full text of Dr. Peter Asaro’s speech
• The Golden Doves for Peace are awarded by Archivio Disarmo every year to four journalists who are particularly dedicated to themes of peace and disarmament. A fifth dove is awarded to an international figure or organisation that has made a significant contribution to the cause of peace. The prize was awarded on 12 October in the Hall of the Protomoteca in Rome, Italy. Dr. Peter Asaro, the campaign’s Vice-Chair accepted the award on behalf of the campaign.
• The Stop Killer Robots Campaign is a global coalition of more than 250 international, regional, and national NGOs and academic partners working across 70 countries to ensure meaningful human control over the use of force through the development of new international law