LETHAL AUTONOMOUS WEAPON SYSTEMS (LAWS) ENFORCEMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY ALGORITHMS?
The aim of present article is to approach the relatively new field of lethal autonomous robots and weapon systems (LARs or LAWS) from the perspective of international law with a focus on human rights compliance. Initially, the topic became the subject of public awareness and discussions in 2009 and soon acquired both interest and criticism. The development of such weapon systems rises at the same time legal, moral, practical and ethical questions. In the absence of specific sui generis legal provisions regarding them, the article shall try to evaluate to what extent such concepts find legal and moral justification by the existing provisions of humanitarian law. In any case, as LAWS provide for important benefits, they should be considered under serious legal safeguard due to their impact on human rights, out-of-combat units and civilian population. All such benefits must be guided by ethical principles and legal provisions, either those already applied or new ones that would better fit this specific field.
Keywords: LAWS, UN, Geneva Convention, Humanitarian Law.
Asaro, P. 2012. On banning autonomous weapon systems: human rights, automation, and the dehumanization of lethal decision-making. International Review of the Red Cross, 94(886), pp. 687-709. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1816383112000768
Axworthy, L. & Walter, D. 2016. New Technology for peace and protection. Walterdorn. Available at: https://walterdorn.net/pub/236/ (10. 10. 2024).
Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. 2014. Country Statements on Killer Robots – Compilation by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. Available at: https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/KRC_CountryStatus_14Mar2014.pdf (10. 10. 2024).
Geneva Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field. Geneva, 12 August 1949. Available at: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gci-1949?activeTab=1949GCs-APs-and-commentaries (10. 10. 2024).
Guizzo, E. 2016. Autonomous weapons ‘could be developed for use within years’, says arms-control croup. IEEE SPECTRUM. Available at: https://spectrum.ieee.org/autonomous-weapons-could-be-developed-for-use-within-years (10. 10. 2024).
Harris, K. 2015. Killer robots pose risk and advantages for military use. CBC. Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/killer-robots-pose-risks-and-advantages-for-military-use-1.3026963 (10. 10. 2024).
ICRAC. 2014. Canada’s biggest robot company rejects ‘killer robots’. Available at: http://icrac.net/2014/08/canadas-biggest-robot-company-rejects-killer-robots/ (10. 10. 2024).
International Committee of the Red Cross. The Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949. Available at: https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/external/doc/en/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-0173.pdf (10. 10. 2024).
ICRAC. 2015. Model United Nations urges Ban on Killer Robots. Available at: https://www.icrac.net/model-united-nations-urges-ban-on-killer-robots/ (10. 10. 2024).
International Committee of the Red Cross. 2016. Views of the ICRC on autonomous weapon systems – paper submitted to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). Available at: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/views-icrc-autonomous-weapon-system (10. 10. 2024).
United Nations. 2015. Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons – Informal Meeting of Experts. Available at: https://meetings.unoda.org/ccw-ime/convention-certain-conventional-weapons-informal-meeting-experts-2015 (10. 10. 2024).
United Nations. 2015. Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Available at: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3856238/files/CCW_MSP_2015_9-EN.pdf (10. 10. 2024).
United Nations. 2014. UN meeting targets ‘killer robots’. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2014/05/468302-un-meeting-targets-killer-robots (10. 10. 2024).
United Nations. 2013. UN human rights expert urges global pause in creation of robots with ‘power to kill’. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2013/05/440982 (10. 10. 2024).
Van Den Boogaard, J. 2016. Proportionality and autonomous weapons systems. Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, 6(2), pp. 247-283. https://doi.org/10.1163/18781527-00602007