Etica Sgr and Stop Killer Robots launch a call to investors to regulate autonomous weapons systems.

A social, ethical, and legal emergency: international rules on autonomous weapons based on artificial intelligence systems are needed to combat digital dehumanization.

Etica Sgr , in collaboration with the international coalition Stop Killer Robots, is making an urgent appeal to institutional investors to request the definition of an international regulation that governs the development and use of autonomous weapons systems , or “killer robots”, i.e. weapons that, thanks to artificial intelligence systems, are capable of identifying and hitting targets without human control .

The use of these weapons is no longer confined to experimental use, but is already a reality in operational missions. Yet, a globally agreed-upon legal definition of an autonomous weapon system is still lacking . Their widespread use raises profound questions about compliance with international humanitarian law and raises serious ethical and strategic concerns. Indeed, these systems challenge our understanding of the exercise of force, moral responsibility, and the very value of human life.

Delegating life-or-death decisions to machines means accepting digital dehumanization, the process that reduces people to mere data, stripping them of their dignity, and replacing human responsibility and intervention with automation. Autonomous weapons systems also present technical and operational challenges, linked to their complexity and dependence on the quality of input data, which can lead to unpredictable errors. The adoption of an international treaty regulating these weapons systems and, in high-risk cases, banning their use—as is the case for other controversial weapons, such as cluster bombs or anti-personnel mines—represents a fundamental step in supporting the development of standards that counter dehumanization, reduce automated damage, and establish ethical boundaries in technological development. Furthermore, in the financial sector, the presence of international regulation reduces uncertainty and is a key reference for investors with a long-term time horizon and a focus on social and environmental sustainability.

Since its inception, Etica Sgr has excluded weapons from its fund investments. Faced with this new emergency, Etica Sgr and Stop Killer Robots invite institutional investors to sign the Investor Statement , a declaration calling on government leaders around the world to initiate negotiations for a new international law on autonomous weapons systems, in order to:

• ban the development and use of autonomous weapons designed to target humans;
• ensure meaningful human control in all decisions about the use of force.

The full text of the Statement is public (in English) .

Marco Carlizzi, Chairman of Etica Sgr , stated: “Allowing machines to decide life and death is unacceptable: it means crossing an insurmountable line for humanity. Every autonomous weapon represents a renunciation of our responsibility and dignity as human beings. These systems are not just a new generation of weapons: they mark a paradigm shift in the relationship between war, technology, and humanity, with challenges that transcend the regulatory dimension. In an era marked by conflicts that claim civilian victims every day and massacres that question the collective conscience, the use of autonomous weapons systems further amplifies the dehumanization of war and removes any prospect of peace. For this reason, Etica Sgr, together with the Stop Killer Robots coalition, calls on the investment community to urgently push for the adoption of binding international rules to ban killer robots.”

Nicole van Rooijen, Executive Director of Stop Killer Robots , said: “We are pleased to have collaborated with Etica Sgr to develop the Investor Statement on autonomous weapons. At a time when the growing use of artificial intelligence and automation in conflict is causing serious humanitarian harm, it is crucial to raise public awareness and oppose the development of autonomous weapons. The support of the investment community is crucial to advance our efforts to create a new international law that regulates these weapons, counters digital dehumanization, and reduces automated harm.”

The Stop Killer Robots initiative is part of Etica Sgr's plan to celebrate its first 25 years . In this quarter-century, Etica Sgr funds have never invested in companies involved in the production, use, maintenance, distribution, or stockpiling of conventional weapons, controversial weapons, or their key components, such as landmines, cluster bombs, and nuclear weapons. This choice is consistent with Etica Sgr's commitment to peace and disarmament, given the serious impacts that armaments have on people, economies, and the environment.

At the same time, Etica Sgr is actively engaged in advocacy activities against nuclear weapons, with the aim of stopping the financing of the production and maintenance of nuclear arsenals.