International Discussions Concerning Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

Abstract

Lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), or weapons designed to independently select and engage targets without the need for manual human control, could enable military operations in communications-degraded or -denied environments where traditional systems may not be able to operate. LAWS are not yet in widespread development. However, as technology advances - particularly artificial intelligence (AI) - a larger number of countries may consider developing and operating LAWS. This could hold potential implications for congressional oversight, defense investments, military concepts of operations, treaty-making, and the future of warfare. As has been the case throughout history, incorporation of new technology into weapons systems creates a number of potential legal, ethical, strategic, and operational problems. For this reason, some members of the international community seek through international discussions to constrain - if not ban - LAWS.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 19, 2021
Accession Number
AD1171922

Entities

People

  • Kelley M . Sayler

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arms Control
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Autonomous Systems
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Autonomous Weapons
  • Autonomy
  • Congress
  • Control Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • Law
  • Military Operations
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Weapon Systems
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML
  • AI & ML - Autonomous Systems
  • AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
  • Autonomy