War, Responsibility, and Killer Robots

Abstract

Although many are concerned that autonomous weapon systems may make war “too easy,” no one has addressed how their use may alter the distribution of the constitutional war power. Drones, cyber operations, and other technological advances in weaponry already allow the United States to intervene militarily with minimal boots on the ground, and increased autonomy in weapon systems will further reduce risk to soldiers. As human troops are augmented and supplanted by robotic ones, it will be politically easier to justify using force, especially for short-term military engagements. Accordingly, one of the remaining incentives for Congress to check presidential warmongering — popular outrage at the loss of American lives — will diminish. The integration of autonomous weapon systems into U.S. military forces will therefore contribute to the growing concentration of the war power in the hands of the Executive, with implications for the international doctrine of humanitarian intervention.