Autonomous Weapons and the Need for Regulation

Senior Researcher Branka Marijan will deliver a lecture as part of the Third Age Learning AI Lecture Series.

So called killer robots might present the most frightening application of AI in many ways. Utilizing AI technology in munitions and weapons has deadly implications. The potential absence of oversight and control of autonomous weapons can be disconcerting. The possibility for error can have deadly consequences to non-combatants. AI has been more commonly deployed in the form of cyberwarfare infiltrating systems to disrupt systems such as electrical power grids.

This session will cover the current understanding of autonomous weapons, the necessary requirements to ensure civilian protection and the future risks without regulation. The need for strict regulations reflects the political considerations and military strategies of past and recent conflicts that have targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure. Specific regulations need to address the minimum limits to the extent of human control, restrictions on types of autonomous weapon systems and the situations in which they are utilized. Learning from previous arms control and disarmament agreements provides frameworks to address the challenges of regulating AI technologies.