PH Calls for More Rules, Human Control at Military AI Summit 

DFA Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations (OUMAIER) Carlos D. Sorreta delivering the PH statement at the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit 2023 with Foreign Minister of The Netherlands, H.E. Wopke Hoekstra, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Park Yin, Defense Minister of The Netherlands, H.E. Kajsa Ollongren, and other dignitaries at Ministerial Roundtable. (DFA-UNIO photo)

THE HAGUE 20 February 2023 -  Noting artificial intelligence (AI) brings both potential benefits and serious legal, development and ethical concerns, the Philippines strongly called for enhancing international rules and human control over AI to ensure its responsible uses for peace at a conference in The Netherlands tackling the military use of artificial intelligence (AI) on 16 February 2023.

In his statement at the at the first Responsible Use of AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit 2023 this week in The Hague, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Multilateral and International Economic Relations Carlos D. Sorreta asserted that “human beings must at all times exert control and judgement over weapons systems to ensure compliance with international and humanitarian law and accountability for the use of force.” 

 “An AI arms race will only leave more behind.  AI is not only a tool for self-defense and security.  It must also become a force for more equitable sustainable development,” Undersecretary Sorreta underscored.  

He concluded his remarks by stating that peace and security require “…more, not less responsible human control.  More, not less, humanity.”

The (REAIM) Summit 2023 was co-hosted by The Netherlands and the Republic of Korea.  Over 2000 delegates from 80 countries attended the multistakeholder conference, which included high-level representatives from governments, armed forces, academe, the private sector, and civil society.  For two days, delegates discussed in plenary and breakout sessions the risks and opportunities of the increasing use of AI in the military.

In his remarks during the Ministerial Roundtable, Undersecretary Sorreta highlighted President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly that identified emerging technologies, such as AI, as among the most pressing of global challenges. 

He shared that the Philippines is among a group of countries at the United Nations pushing for a legally binding instrument that prohibits lethal autonomous weapons systems that can be used to conduct attacks outside the control of humans.  

Conference participants agreed to continue the conversation on establishing rules and institutions to govern the responsible use of AI.  The 2nd REAIM meeting will be held in the Republic of Korea next year.   

Undersecretary Sorreta was joined at the conference by H.E. J. Eduardo Malaya, Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in The Hague. END

Undersecretary Sorreta beside United Nations Undersecretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu and Vice Ministers of Defense of Lithuania and Czechia. (DFA-UNIO photo)

Philippine Delegation to REAIM 2023: Undersecretary Sorreta with H.E. J. Eduardo Malaya, Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands (second from left), Deputy Assistant Secretary for UN and International Organizations Jesus Enrique Garcia II (far left), and First Secretary and Consul Jarie R. Osias of the Philippine Embassy The Hague (far right). (DFA-UNIO photo)