Autonomous weapon systems, if they break the key principles of IHL, who will be held accountable? The company that makes it, the commander that gives the ready-go signal? Or the state itself?
I don’t think responsibility can be placed on a single actor. The state remains primarily accountable, since it authorizes the use of the weapon and carries obligations under international humanitarian law. At the same time, the commander who gives the order cannot be absolved—he or she is responsible for ensuring that operations comply with these laws. The manufacturer also carries a moral, and in some cases legal, responsibility if the system was delivered without proper safeguards or with knowledge that it could breach fundamental principles. In the end, the machine itself cannot be blamed; responsibility always lies with the humans and institutions that designed it and chose to deploy it.
- Badges
- Science topic