Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) in War and Laws of War: Are Killer Robots Compatible with International Humanitarian Law?

Abstract

“Terminator will not parade on July 14,” said Florence Parly, the French Minister of the Armed Forces on April 5, 2019, as she presented the French strategy on artificial intelligence and defense. This was a way of announcing France’s decision not to develop “killer robots”, also known as “lethal autonomous weapon systems” (LAWS). These have been defined in 2012 by the US Department of Defense as “a weapon system that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator”. LAWS do not exist yet, but they are being developed as a result of technological advances in artificial intelligence and robotics brought about by the fourth industrial revolution..