With artificial intelligence being used in a growing number of defense systems, Japan and 44 other countries have endorsed a U.S.-led initiative aimed at setting guardrails around the military use of this cutting-edge technology.

Amid concerns that the unregulated use of AI could result in unintended consequences, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said Tuesday that it shares Washington’s objective of “reducing the potential risks and uncertainties posed by the introduction of AI into the military field.”

Tokyo, which has been following the U.S. initiative since its launch in February, also said it welcomes efforts to strengthen the compliance of military AI applications with international humanitarian law.

Many of the other nations supporting these efforts, which include a nonbinding political declaration, are U.S. allies or partners such as Germany, France, Britain, Canada, Singapore and South Korea.

But the international push for AI regulation will have limited impact unless it also includes China, which appears determined to become a global leader in technologies that could potentially revolutionize warfare.

Beijing is already besting Western democracies in research output on 53 out of 64 technological areas deemed critical for economic growth and military power over the coming decades, according to Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank data released in September.

This includes research in military areas where AI and autonomy will be crucial such as drone swarms, collaborative robots, advanced data analytics and machine learning.

The issue is likely to be discussed this week during a highly anticipated meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, where the potential dangers of AI will also be high on the agenda.

Although the leaders will have a long list of matters to discuss, the talks are expected to help pave the way for increased military communication between the rival superpowers.

According to the South China Morning Post, Biden and Xi are poised to pledge a ban on the use of AI in autonomous weaponry, such as drones, and in the control and deployment of nuclear warheads amid efforts to ensure that AI use complies with international law.

The latter is a key element of Washington’s political declaration, which lays out a number of measures to guide the “responsible development, deployment and use” of AI military applications, including those enabling autonomous functions and systems.

According to the document, the military use of AI capabilities needs to be accountable and within a “responsible human chain of command and control.”

Among other things, the measures call on states to take appropriate steps, such as legal reviews, to ensure that their military AI capabilities comply with international law, in particular humanitarian law.

Countries should also ensure that the development methods used for these technologies are transparent and auditable, and that these capabilities have well-defined uses and are subject to rigorous testing across their entire life cycles.

Another important measure is the implementation of safeguards to minimize unintended biases and lower the risk of failures. The latter includes a system’s ability to detect and avoid unintended consequences by disengaging or deactivating itself when something goes wrong.

“We are establishing a set of measures for responsible behavior, as well as a mechanism for states to discuss and address the challenges militaries face while adopting AI systems,” Bonnie Jenkins, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said Monday while presenting the declaration at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

“We cannot predict how AI technologies will evolve or what they might be capable of in a year or five years,” Jenkins said.

However, “we know that there are steps states can take now to put in place the necessary policies and build the technical capacities to enable responsible development and use, no matter the technological advancements,” Jenkins added, while calling on the international community to “lead in setting norms and good practices” on AI.