Potsdam Call on Autonomous Weapons Systems

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the signing of the Potsdam Agreement, a distinguished group of scientists and experts from around the world issued the Potsdam Call on Autonomous Weapons Systems — an international manifesto calling for urgent regulation and ultimate prohibition of weapons capable of making life-and-death decisions without human intervention.

In an era marked by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and weaponised drones, the Call serves as a profound moral and political appeal to reconsider the limits of automation in warfare. Echoing the historic warnings issued by scientists in the aftermath of the 1945 atomic bombings, the signatories caution against yet another turning point: the unchecked development of lethal technologies that threaten peace, global stability, and the very foundations of human dignity.

“We appeal as human beings to human beings: remember your humanity, and forget the rest.”
— Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell, 1955

The Call was formally presented to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, as an expression of the growing concern within the scientific community over the accelerating global arms race in artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems.

Lodz Cyber Hub fully endorses the content of the Potsdam Call, recognising it as consistent with the core values of responsible technology governance and the observance of the international legal order.
Dr. Joanna Kulesza, Director of LCH, is the only Polish signatory of the document.

Full Text of the Potsdam Call
List of Signatories