2023
Finland joins the Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy
Finland has joined the Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use
of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy
On 25 October 2023, Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen approved the proposal for Finland to endorse the political Declaration. The declaration, prepared under the leadership of the United States, was published on 13 November 2023 in New York.
- The rapid development of AI in military technology calls for more swift action to develop regulation and Finland has supported this development on a long-term basis. Apart from actual weapons systems, AI and machine autonomy that it enables have become more and more important for example in producing situational awareness, planning and logistics. With the help of regulation of artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, we will develop our own defence capability together with our allies, says Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen.
According to Häkkänen, these are not only ethical matters but also defence industry and trade policy opportunities, as Finland has a strong competence base in artificial intelligence and machine autonomy.
- The Political Declaration lays the foundation for promoting regulation in cooperation with the United States and other AI-capable states that have endorsed the Declaration. The endorsing States commit to ten principles that promote responsibility and security in the military development and use of artificial intelligence and autonomous functions. They emphasise compliance with the principles of international law and international humanitarian law, says Minister Häkkänen.
It is essential that the military use of artificial intelligence and autonomy is morally, ethically and legally correct. This requires that the system, as a rule, is correctly designed and tested in relation to its task, in addition to which the use is responsible and restricted in accordance with a clear chain of command. The purpose of the Declaration is to ensure responsible development and use throughout the system's life cycle, for example through training, testing, risk assessment and management, precautions, legality assessments and supervision.
This is a political commitment that does not create new legal obligations for the endorsing States. Finland will participate in international discussions to further develop and concretise the principles of the Declaration. The Declaration is open to the accession of states and, in the future, the aim is to achieve the widest possible international commitment to the principles set out in the Declaration.
Inquiries: Pekka Appelqvist, Research Director, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 360 and Milla Virtanen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 140 034.