UN chief voices concern over reports of Israel using AI to identify targets in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday voiced concern over reports of the Israeli military using artificial intelligence (AI) in its bombing in Gaza.

Reports showed that AI was used to identify targets, particularly in "densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties," he told reporters.

"No part of life-and-death decisions, which impact entire families, should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms," he said at a press encounter, as the Hamas-Israel conflict is nearly six months.

The Israeli military campaign has reportedly killed more than 32,000 and injured more than 75,000 others, the vast majority of them women and children, said Guterres.

More than half of the population in Gaza -- over a million people -- are facing catastrophic hunger, with children dying for lack of food and water, he said.

"Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," said the UN chief.