BOAO, Hainan, March 27, 2025 (BSS/XINHUA) - The act of killing in war should
always be a human decision, not one made by artificial intelligence (AI),
said a high-ranking official of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) on Wednesday, who sees AI as both a concern and an opportunity for
humanitarian aid in war zones.

AI is one of the keywords of this year's Boao Forum for Asia in south China's
Hainan Province. As entrepreneurs and policymakers are discussing how to use
AI to boost the productivity and well-being of mankind, Balthasar Staehelin,
head of the ICRC's Regional Delegation for East Asia voiced concern about
AI's application in weapon systems.

Staehelin, also personal envoy of the ICRC president to China, told Xinhua in
an interview on the sidelines of the Boao Forum that there is a high risk of
AI being used in weapon systems, which are becoming more and more autonomous.

"Our concern is that the act of killing should always be a human decision. I
don't think we should designate that act to software that is then cut loose.
That would be a very dangerous world and it poses all sorts of ethical
problems," said Staehelin, who called for robust discussion about the issue.

Staehelin also warned of the risks posed by AI-generated disinformation and
misinformation, which can endanger vulnerable populations. He noted, for
instance, that harmful information about communicable diseases can be more
dangerous than the epidemic itself.

However, Staehelin noted, it is like two sides of the same coin and AI as a
tool has greatly helped the ICRC's humanitarian actions in Africa and other
parts of the world. According to him, ICRC uses AI to match people looking
for displaced family members, as the names may be spelled slightly different
in Arabic.

"You often have very incomplete thousands of data sets and AI can also help
you to sort out and calculate probabilities and help us to match that
faster," said Staehelin.

AI has also been used in mine clearance. Low-flying drones equipped with AI
technology can help detect mines, which is far more efficient than previous
methods. In combination with AI and satellites, humanitarian workers can
calculate faster and more efficiently the possible needs of population
movements, to look for the best safe access or to map water points.

"But we also have a downside," said Staehelin. "In a war, certain data of
people could suddenly be misused to target or kill them. We have to be
absolutely sure that this data has never been used against them. If we allow
this to happen, we would destroy the trust of the people."

Staehelin said China is a leading nation in technology on AI, and he believed
that there are a lot of opportunities for partnership and cooperation between
the ICRC and China.

Noting that this year the ICRC regional delegation will celebrate 20 years of
establishment in Beijing, Staehelin said the cooperation between ICRC and
China is multifold, expressing appreciations to China's contributions to
galvanizing political commitment to international humanitarian law and the
country's efforts in offering mediation to bring conflicts to an end in the
Middle East and other parts of the world.