Advanced military systems and hardware, such as surveillance, analysis and drones, are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology to speed up decision-making and response times. Automated systems are also presented as more precise weapons that limit harms to civilians. While humans may be slower than computers at identifying and deciding on which actions to take, humans possess a vastly greater ability to make life-and-death decisions compared to computers.

Current applications of automated systems to many aspects of war and conflict have opened a new Pandora’s box. Systems operating autonomously with little human intervention raise ethical and legal concerns. Ethicists, international legal experts and international affairs specialists have been sounding the alarm on the potential misuse of this technology and the lack of any regulations governing its use.

The Ethics of Automated Warfare and Artificial Intelligence essay series seeks to understand how the weaponization of AI is operating within the contemporary global governance architecture. The series contributors posit how this technology will continue to advance within the defence and security realm, examine the corresponding influence on the current geopolitical landscape and ask what moral and ethical considerations are associated with the deployment of autonomous weapons.

Read The Ethics of Automated Warfare and Artificial Intelligence essay series here: https://www.cigionline.org/ai-ethics