We bingoed ethical concerns at the last GGE
by Luís C. Farias, Ana B. Duarte, Manuela Le-Fort of the InterAgency Institute
In Conference Room XIX at the United Nations in Geneva, a critical dialogue unfolds. After a decade of discussions at the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) the InterAgency Institute, in collaboration with Stop Killer Robots, shook things up at the GGE by introducing an innovative and fun tool to the ongoing debate: a CCW Bingo. It is a tool designed to promote active listening and to identify patterns and repetitive discourse in the statements made during the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) meetings. We aimed to ensure that the Bingo would be fun and informative, empowering participants to engage more effectively in discussions at the GGE.
To create the CCW Bingo, our team applied natural language processing techniques to analyze the statements made by countries and observers during the GGE sessions. Using a Python algorithm, we transformed raw transcripts from the CCW/GGE sessions into organized spreadsheets, allowing us to extract valuable insights on participation, inclusion, and other critical aspects of the forum.
First, we selected all the statements that contained the following key words or their derivatives: IHL (International Humanitarian Law); Ethics; Digital Dehumanization; Human Control; Legally Binding Instrument; and Accountability. After reducing our list of statements, we tidied the text. Imagine putting all statements in a blender and turning it into a simple sequence of words, which can either directly mention the keyword or allude to it. With a sequence of words for each keyword, we created a list of the 50 most common expressions (ranging from two to seven words), and then we selected 23 of those. We also chose to add key word ‘digital dehumanization’, which was not found in the most common expressions, to the bingo as a hopeful reminder of its significance, emphasizing our wish that this important topic receives more attention and becomes a more prominent part of the conversation among the High Contracting Parties.
The game cards were distributed among country delegations, civil society organizations, academics, and other stakeholders at the meeting. The response from attendees was reassuring. Some have clearly stated that they found it to be an engaging way to follow the discussions. The CCW Bingo is part of a larger initiative from the InterAgency Institute. This project aims to enhance our understanding of the LAWS discussions by organizing and analyzing the discourse from years of GGE meetings, which have been taking place since 2017. In addition to the Bingo, during the August GGE we provided a newsletter to campaigners with daily insights from each session and a factsheet with information about the previous session of the conference, which ran from 4–8 March 2024.
Bingo! On the morning of the final day of the meeting, when “Human-Machine” was said, the whole card was filled. As discussions continue within the GGE, tools like the CCW Bingo can play a crucial role in demystifying the complex discourse surrounding autonomous weapons. By making the language of diplomacy more accessible, we hope to encourage broader public engagement with this critical issue. We believe that through collaborative efforts and innovative approaches, we can work towards a future where technological advancement and human security go hand in hand.
To learn more about our work and how you can support our efforts, please visit the InterAgency Institute and Stop Killer Robots websites.
