Artificial intelligence: a paradigm shift in international law and politics? Autonomous weapon systems as a case study1

Abstract

Particularly in the most recent decades, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing our societies in a wide range of different fields: AI devices are currently employed to assist judges, physicians, and soldiers, among others, with complex intellectual tasks. As technology advances, not just the assistance to but the substitution of human beings with AI systems will be considered. In the present chapter, we investigate this issue by considering a specific case-study which is particularly relevant from an IR perspective: Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS), namely AI military robots which allegedly would not require human intervention in order to perform a military action. After an overall examination of the scholarly debate on AWS and a brief insight on the main technological questions involved, we will look at the practice of AWS development and possible deployment by States and at the ongoing international negotiations considering their regulation or total prohibition.