Artificial intelligence (AI) is now influencing every area of human life. The past decade has seen a drastic increase in the use of AI, including facial recognition software, self-driving vehicles, search engines, and translation software. These accepted uses of AI in modern society have also coincided with an increased presence of AI in modern warfare. The escalating weaponization of AI parallels the nuclear arms race of the Cold War, with nuclear weapons being replaced with automated weapons systems. However, the international community, the United Nations, and international law have been struggling to adapt to and regulate the use of automated weapons, which are rapidly changing the landscape of modern warfare.

The international community started to take notice of AI and its influence on modern warfare in 2012, with a series of documents outlining the use of automated weapons systems. These documents included policy directives by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on autonomy in weapons systems and a report from Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic (2012 HRW-IHRC report) calling for an outright ban on automated weapons.

The development and use of weapons that can undertake autonomous functions during conflict is becoming the focus of states and tech companies. In 2017, an open letter from the Future Life Institute to the United Nations (UN) signed by 126 CEOs and founders of artificial intelligence and robotics companies “implored” states to prevent an arms race for autonomous weapons systems (AWS).

source: War, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Conflict https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2024/07/12/war-artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-conflict/