A rigorous weapons review, in line with Article 36 of [AP I], is essential for determining the legality of any new means or method of warfare. In the area of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine autonomy, the review needs to be critical, wide in scope, multidisciplinary, and detailed with regard to the intended use-cases. The level of admissible autonomy depends on the context and its constraints, i.e., on the complexity of the operative use-case and the sophistication of the cognitive skills of the weapons system. Integration of the weapons review process in the entire lifecycle of LAWS, from early concept design to later phases, is essential, as software is updated and evolves in design.
Considerations on the appropriate level of human involvement in LAWS: Food-for-thought paper by Finland (June 2020)
