This resource paper offers an initial comparative analysis of the content of the six different proposals related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) submitted by States to the Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS.
It identifies commonality in views as well as areas that require further discussion in relation to ten thematic areas covered in the six proposals and the Group’s discussions. These include:
application of international humanitarian law (IHL)
weapons prohibitions and other regulations/restrictions
application of international human rights law (IHRL) and international criminal law (ICL)
characterization
general requirements regarding human-machine interaction and human control
responsibility and accountability
legal reviews
risk mitigation
ethical considerations
peaceful uses of artificial intelligence (AI)
Also available: Annex A, which includes relevant excerpts from proposals related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems.
Support from UNIDIR’s core funders provides the foundation for all of the Institute’s activities. The resource paper was originally prepared for a roundtable discussion, with both being supported by the Governments of New Zealand and Switzerland. The paper and the discussion were also supported by the generous contributions of the Programme's core donors: Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Microsoft.