ABSTRACT
A retrospective evaluation and summative assessment of more than two decades of legal and moral challenges presented by emerging military technologies, including a recap and reflections on the disappointments suffered and the lessons learned during the debate over the status and future of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). Focuses primarily on remotely piloted and semiautonomous robotic weapons systems, examining the prospects for marrying capacities for increased machine autonomy through AI with lethal armament and defense, including examining the reliability and proliferation of unmanned or “uncrewed” systems already in place and deployed. Examines the moral concerns (e.g., threats to human dignity, the “responsibility gap” in assigning liability for actions) as well as the status of ongoing discussions and negotiations in international law (e.g., concerning the anomalous nature of “meaningful human control”) attending these technological innovations. Argues for an increased focus upon the role of engineering ethics, particularly regarding risks inherent in design and development of new weapons systems, with greater focus on due care and avoidance of reckless endangerment and criminal negligence.
