Foreword

The prospect of the deployment of fully autonomous weapon systems raises a number of troubling questions. As explored in this paper, these questions are multi-dimensional. For example, lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) could seriously test existing legal frameworks by posing novel challenges for attribution and accountability. They also pose ethical and moral quandaries: are we comfortable with outsourcing life and death decisions to machines and what does that say about the value we place on the sanctity of human life? On the security front, such weapons may lower barriers to the use of force and could be particularly attractive to unsophisticated and unscrupulous non-State actors.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions