Defence experts propose GCC drone manufacturing to counter Iran

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 ROME - Defence experts proposed Wednesday at a Euro-Gulf Information Centre (EGIC) roundtable that drone manufacturing in GCC countries could help establish a balance of power with the Iranian drone industry.  

 Concerns over the use of drones in warfare and the rise of AI technology in combat escalated with the recent discovery of Iranian drones buzzing the skies of Ukraine and the appearance of a Chinese balloon flying over North America.

 A Ukrainian intelligence assessment obtained exclusively by CNN found that parts made by US and Western companies were found inside a single Iranian drone downed in Ukraine, indicating that sanctions are not effectively preventing the transfer of this technology to Iran.

 To contain the development of the Islamic Republic’s drone force and discourage the creation of new drone industries in the region, European countries should be less hesitant in dealing with the Gulf and should sell their drones to countries like the UAE, which are already developing their own unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturing capabilities, an Italian defence expert suggested.

 Despite acknowledging that drones have become a fundamental tool of statecraft, the table has also discussed the ethical and legal concerns of their use in warfare.

 International humanitarian law dictates that wars should only be fought between combatants and should not involve civilians. However, instances of civilians being killed in drone strikes carried out by AI have been reported, which is a clear infringement of the Geneva Convention.

 The decision-making process of the algorithm used by AI is also difficult to trace, making it hard to explain why certain targets were chosen and who is responsible for the consequential deaths, a researcher specializing in AI pointed out.

 Following this initial discussion, EGIC hinted at the potential of setting up ongoing gatherings to periodically discuss the legal and political issues related to the use of drones.

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