Prohibition of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-17 ============================================================ Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel Like Senator O'Loughlin, this is my first opportunity to wish the Minister of State well on her elevation. I wish her the very best. It is a great opportunity for her. It is a great moment for her and I wish her well. I thank Senator Higgins for introducing the Bill, which we support completely. I would be concerned if anyone were to oppose it and it is welcome that the Government is not opposing it. Like Senator Clonan, I think it is something we should introduce at a national level to set an example and send out a message that we are going to do our part. We should be very proud of Ireland's record when it comes to promoting disarmament and non-proliferation of immoral and unnecessarily brutal weapons. Ireland was central to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and led the way early on when it came to nuclear disarmament. Likewise, we were key to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, as well as the anti-personnel landmines convention not too long ago. Leading the way on the prohibition of lethal autonomous weapons is a meaningful way that we can add to this legacy in the modern day. That can be helped on its way with this common-sense legislation. Much like landmines and cluster munitions, lethal autonomous weapon systems pose an inherent and unnecessary risk to non-combatants and are completely contrary to accepted values, human rights and international law. We have seen the devastation that they inflict in Lebanon and Gaza. It is horrendous. There is no soldier present to distinguish between civilians and enemies and there is no officer providing oversight or taking responsibility. There is only a computer programme to kill in the most efficient way it is able to do. It completely separates warfare from basic humanity and morality, making it essentially impossible for individuals to be held to account for lethal actions from these weapons. I do not see how anyone could be happy for these sorts of weapons to be used in future wars but, unfortunately, power and money, and the big powers, are investing in that technology. It is depressing in many ways when you think about it. The United States, China, Russia and, no doubt, other countries are developing AI-powered weaponry with advanced killer robot autonomous drones already being deployed in Ukraine. There is a very real risk that this will become the new arms race with every major military power pouring resources into producing the most lethal and powerful AI weaponry possible, free from any human notions of morality or compassion. A future in which wars are waged by artificial intelligence is no longer just science fiction. It is a terrifying prospect. It is worth noting that Ireland has already taken very positive steps in calling for the regulation of these weapons at an international level and has supported these efforts within the United Nations. Since 2018, the UN has maintained that lethal autonomous weapons systems are politically unacceptable and morally repugnant, and has called for their prohibition under international law. That is why we need to lead by example. We can do it. The current Secretary-General reiterated this in 2023 and called on member states to each adopt, by 2026, a legally binding instrument to prohibit lethal autonomous weapon systems that function without human control or oversight, which cannot be used in compliance with international humanitarian law, and to regulate all other types of autonomous weapon systems. Enacting this Bill would be a step towards this objective and would give further credibility to Ireland's calls for the prohibition of these weapons systems internationally. We are living in an exceptionally dangerous and unstable world. That makes our position as a militarily neutral country all the more important both for our own security and as a means of promoting disarmament and peace abroad. I hope that the Government will support this legislation. It is not opposing it, but is it supporting it? There is a difference. I hope the Government will remain committed to protecting Irish neutrality and our ability to be a positive force for peace on the international stage. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-17/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:04+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-06-17