Diplomats from Washington and Moscow spent 15 hours stripping requirements for predictable and reliable systems from a proposed international agreement in Geneva early this month. The delegates removed language demanding ethical considerations and a human review of target selection before AI-assisted strikes, with both nations deploying about 10 lawyers each to modify the draft on lethal autonomous weapons.

More than 70 nations support using the document as the basis for a legally binding treaty to regulate autonomous weapons, but the Geneva negotiations require consensus to proceed. Because the US and Russia oppose binding restrictions, they can effectively block the broader effort. The participating countries will meet again in November to decide whether the process will move toward a formal treaty.