Death by Algorithm The Frontier of Automated Killing

A new weapon emerges on the modern battlefield. A weapon that radically changes the way wars can be fought. A weapon that challenges the notion of human control over technology and transforms the way decisions on the battlefield can and will be made. Governed by sophisticated artificial intelligence, machines can observe, search for, loiter, engage, and destroy targets without human intervention. Once deployed, the Autonomous Weapons System (AWS) “decides” who lives to see another day. This workshop focuses on Autonomous Weapons Systems at the frontier of automated killing and whether and how such systems can be regulated or used responsibly. The workshop presents experts with insights on the current use of AWS, International Humanitarian Law, and the ethics of war. These scholars will constitute an interdisciplinary forum for discussions and principles, e.g. “meaningful human control”, transparency, distinction, and proportionality in decisions on life and death.