The use of AI and robotics in armed conflicts

Abstract

This systematic literature review (SLR) explores existing and newly emergent ethical and legal challenges associated with the use of AI and robotics in armed conflicts. We conducted an extensive review of relevant scholarly publications associated with (lethal) autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). Besides the ethical and legal principles, we also explore emergent technical applications associated with these technologies in armed conflict(s). Our particular focus is to compare literature from the last 12 years with publications since the outbreaks of recent armed conflicts from the perspective of LAWS. We engage in exploring and identifying the shifts in ethical arguments and discourse, as well as shifts in policy subject themes, and standards setting around the use of emergent technology in relation with AI and robotics. Our contribution analyses emergent socio-technical themes and arguments relevant for engineers, policy-makers, and other interdisciplinary scholars across a variety of disciplines.