The Digital Dehumanisation Conference, organized by Stop Killer Robots (SKR), and the Latin American and the Caribbean Conference on the Social and Humanitarian Impact of Autonomous Weapons Systems (AWS), hosted by the Costa Rican government, took place in late February in San José, Costa Rica. Hayato Yamashita of SGI participated in both convenings.

From 20–22 February, the Digital Dehumanisation Conference was convened by SKR. It was the first in-person global conference since the Covid-19 outbreak, and 68 campaigners from 29 countries gathered. The conference addressed the issue of autonomous weapons under the theme of digital dehumanisation that is defined by SKR as the process where humans are reduced to data, which is then used to make decisions and/or take actions that affect our lives.

In the SGI peace proposals, Daisaku Ikeda, the president of SGI has repeatedly referred to the issue of autonomous weapons and has made concrete proposals, including the enactment of a treaty prohibiting such weapons. In recent years, SGI representatives participated in various international conferences to contribute to the discussion. They have also worked on awareness-raising activities by supporting the production of the documentary film Immoral Code by SKR, as well as organizing an online screening. In addition, Kansai Soka High School in Japan conducted a class highlighting the issue of autonomous weapons. During one of the sessions at the Digital Dehumanisation Conference, Yamashita shared these advocacy and awareness-raising efforts and emphasized the importance of education for younger generations.

Following the three-day Digital Dehumanisation Conference, the Latin American and the Caribbean Conference on the Social and Humanitarian Impact of Autonomous Weapons was convened on 23 and 24 February by the government of Costa Rica and its partners. Over 30 states from Latin America and the Caribbean attended this conference with more than 10 observer states from other regions. UN agencies, international organizations and civil society representatives also participated in the conference. Recognizing the fundamental need of moral and ethical examination on the issue of autonomy in weapons systems, Yamashita delivered a statement on behalf of SGI, which stated, “We have an opportunity now to decide how we want to use technology, and we can do so by rejecting the notion that it is permissible to leave the decisions of life and death to machines.” At the end of the conference, 33 states from Latin America and the Caribbean adopted a historic Communiqué calling for the urgent negotiation of an internationally legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons, which was the first regional statement delivered outside of the UN fora. The Communiqué acknowledges the importance of maintaining meaningful human control “to fully assess the ethical, legal, humanitarian and security implications.” It also highlights the need to establish prohibitions and regulations in regard to the autonomy in weapons systems.

These conferences made clear that it is crucial to commit to making as many people aware as possible of the dangers posed by autonomous weapons in order to move the discussion forward.

Watch a recap video below.