$SOL German defense giant calls for rules on AI applications in military fields

Germany's largest defense company Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger recently stated that global rules should be established for artificial intelligence (AI) applications in military fields to clearly limit the scope of AI use, especially to ensure that humans, not AI, decide when weapons are fired. According to a report by DPA on the 19th, at the 2026 European International Defense Exhibition held near Villepinte, Paris, Papperger made the above statement. He said that over the next 10 years, technological possibilities in the defense industry could grow exponentially, and global standards similar to nuclear weapon management rules must be established to clearly define boundaries. Papperger pointed out that such decisions must be made through ethics committees or United Nations resolutions. He emphasized that in autonomous weapon systems, humans always retain the final decision, meaning humans decide whether to use force. Papperger said that technically, it is feasible to delegate such decisions to AI, and Rheinmetall believes that there should always be human involvement in the decision-making process. He also said that it is crucial to develop global rules to prevent the final decision from being handed over to AI in conflicts.