The 2024 “Golden Dove International Peace Prize” to the Stop Killer Robots Campaing

For some time now, a network of 250 associations worldwide made up of citizens, researchers and civil society representatives has been working to raise public and political awareness of the issue of Artificial Intelligence applied to weapons. And on the increasingly concrete threat of the development, and use in warfare, of lethal fully autonomous weapons.

As in 2017, when the International Golden Dove was awarded to the Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), also in this 40th edition the Prize organised by Archivio Disarmo (with the support of Legacoop member Cooperatives) will be awarded to an international Campaign: the one called Stop Killer Robots. The aim is to prevent the risk of Artificial Intelligence being taken out of human control under the pretext of defence. Accepting the award is Peter Asaro, Professor of Philosophy of Science and Technology at the School of Media Studies at the New School in New York and Vice President of the Campaign. Professor Asaro said: “The Stop Killer Robots Campaign is honoured to receive the Golden Dove Peace Prize. Artificial Intelligence will play a key role in the way we live as individuals, as a society and as a global community, so it is critical that we establish international law to regulate autonomy applied to weapon systems. The dehumanisation, targeting and killing of people in military contexts by AI is unacceptable, as is its use in policing, border control and society at large. Decisions on life or death cannot be delegated to machines”.

Speaking of the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations currently taking place in New York, Asaro emphasises the opportunity offered to states to “act with urgency and show continued political leadership on the issue of autonomous weapons”.

The Golden Dove for Peace, designed by the ‘sculptor of the Popes’ Pericle Fazzini, is awarded annually to journalists and an international personality who have committed themselves to peace. The Jury is composed of Fabrizio Battistelli president of Archivio Disarmo, Dora Iacobelli, Riccardo Iacona, Dacia Maraini, Andrea Riccardi and Tana de Zulueta.

Next 12 October, in the brightly-lit Sala della Protomoteca in Campidoglio granted by Roma Capitale, the official Awards Ceremony will take place – in addition to the international one, also those for the journalists section, awarded to: Matteo Pucciarelli (la Repubblica), Veronica Fernandes (Rainews24), Safwat Al Kahlout (Al Jazeera) and Meron Rapoport (+972/Local Call).