The AI arsenal: Autonomous weapons and ethical debates

 

The AI arsenal: Autonomous weapons and ethical debates

 

Artificial intelligence has brought in a new technological revolution and it has been used in every domain like healthcare, education, governance and even in military applications. There are autonomous systems and automated systems in AI. An automated system uses the “if-else rule”, where a particular output is given for every input action, that is it has predefined rules. Whereas an autonomous system makes guesses using the machine learning algorithms, it learns from experiences and patterns. The use of AI in warfare has changed the nature of warfare. The Lethal Autonomous Weapon System  (LAWS) often called “Killer robots” use AI to identify the targets and attack them. This autonomous system makes its own decision, this weapon is deployed to find targets, and the drones search for a target using data like facial recognition. These autonomous weapon systems are being used in war zones. Russia uses the “Kamikaze drones” , with autonomous capabilities called the “LANTSET”. The LANTSET is a loitering munition drone used to conduct strikes against targets. This drone has an integrated warhead, and can loiter around the war zone fixing targets and striking them without human intervention.

 

Nations have started to adopt AI in their defense policies and plans. In China's defense white paper policy, China promoted “intelligentization” of warfare, where China is using AI in weapon  modernisation. China’s PLA introduced a new core concept called “Multi-Domain Precision Warfare” (MDPW) in 2022 which focuses on integrating various domains into warfare. MDPW relies on  a sophisticated system called the C4ISR. The C4ISR uses AI and big data to understand and respond to complex situations. Recently, the Indian government created the Defence AI Council (DAIC) to provide structural and policy support for the AI adoption. India has manufactured various weapons with AI which includes the “Sapper Scouts” a mine detector UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), The SMART-CMDS system (Countermeasures Dispensing System) is used as advanced defensive system installed on aircraft to protect the aircraft against attacks while flying over an enemy territory. The SMART-CMDS using its AI powered sensors analyze the pattern of firing and take countermeasures for the survival of the aircraft. In the Defence Artificial Intelligence strategy 2022 paper released by the Ministry of Defence of UK, their objective is to transform defense into an ‘AI ready’ organization for their defensive advantage. In the middle eastern regions, autonomous drones are widely used for counter terrorism operations. These autonomous weapons are also used in oceans which includes Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). The REMUS AUV series are manufactured by the USA and are used to detect underwater mines, conduct hydrographic surveys and surveillance. The MQ-9 reaper drone was used to target high profile figures like Jihadi John , a member of ISIS. This drone helped in the elimination of Jihadi John.

The ICRC and the UN have raised concern over the usage of autonomous weapons in the war zone. It raises serious ethical and legal concerns for humanity. These autonomous weapons substitute human decisions about life or death of a person with sensors. There have been discussions happening in Geneva about controlling the creation and use of autonomous weapons. There are some negotiations going on over the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), this convention restricts any weapon that causes unnecessary suffering to combatants or civilians. There is still no binding treaty or resolution that has banned the use of LAWS. With the growing technology, it is important to establish ethical and legal norms to protect humans.