UN experts denounce use of purported AI to commit 'domicide' in Gaza

Over 15,000 deaths occurred 'when AI systems seem to have been largely relied upon for target selection,' say experts

GENEVA:

The UN experts on Monday deplored the use of purported AI and related military directives by Israel in Gaza, causing damage to civilian structures and services.

"If proven true, the shocking revelations of the use of AI systems by the Israeli military such as 'Gospel,' 'Lavender' and 'Where's Daddy?' combined with lowered human due diligence to avoid or minimise civilian casualties and infrastructure, contribute to explaining the extent of the death toll and home destruction in Gaza," the experts said in a statement.

The experts underscored that more than 15,000 deaths, almost half of all civilian deaths so far, occurred during the first six weeks after Oct. 7, "when AI systems seem to have been largely relied upon for target selection."

"We are especially concerned about the alleged use of AI to target 'family homes' of suspected Hamas operatives, typically at night when they sleep, with unguided munitions known as 'dumb' bombs, with little regard for civilians who may be in or around that home," they said.

Flouting the International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip, killing 33,797 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 76,465 others since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

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Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.