“Say No To Autonomous Weapons”
World BEYOND War / Bogotá Chapter

BOGOTA (April 5, 2025) — A public hearing was held in the Chamber of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia on Wednesday, April 2, to discuss the human right to a future, linked to new rights in the era of artificial intelligence. Representatives of the Red Cross, the Colombian Ministry of Defense, lawyers in the country, and representatives of civil society, including members of the Bogotá Chapter of World BEYOND War in Bogotá, attended this hearing.

Members of the Chamber participated in the public hearing, including Representative Alirio Uribe, who highlighted the importance of updating International Humanitarian Law to regulate the use of autonomous weapons, which are operated by artificial intelligence, dehumanize conflict, and are currently one of the main weapons used in the war in Colombia and in the genocide in Gaza.

One of the aspects mentioned during the public hearing is that a large portion of the victims of these autonomous weapons are civilians, a fact that is worrying in Colombia and in many other parts of the world. Another worrying element relates to ethical issues for humanity, from the perspective that human decision-making over life and death is being replaced.

This discussion, which is currently taking place in some parts of the world, and which has been strengthened by campaigns such as Stop Killer Robots, raises the importance of taking a stand against war in any of its forms, whether through the operation of software with artificial intelligence or a weapon in the hands of a human being who decides to end the life of another human being.