The ICRC welcomes the recognition by States of the importance of reviewing new weapons to ensure their compatibility with international law, and stresses that efforts to strengthen national legal review processes are complementary and mutually reinforcing of discussions at the international level, in particular in the CCW meetings of experts. However, the legal review faces certain practical challenges regarding the assessment of whether an autonomous weapon system will perform as anticipated in the intended or expected circumstances of use. Two particular questions are raised: How is the predictability and reliability of the weapon assessed? What level of predictability and reliability is considered necessary?
Statement of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (CCW Informal Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, 11 April 2016)
