Lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), or autonomous weapons, have raised concerns in the international community. While the majority of states have called for regulation, civil society organizations have advocated a pre-emptive ban on the use of autonomous weapons. In his 2023 New Agenda for Peace, the UN Secretary-General urged states to conclude a legally binding international agreement by 2026.
Time is of the essence, as technological development is advancing rapidly and autonomous weapons have the potential to become a prominent feature of modern warfare. Conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza serve as testing grounds for these weapons, contributing to the normalization of automated warfare and their integration into military structures.
Great powers are reluctant to regulate autonomous weapons, as they seek to avoid restrictions amid geopolitical rivalry and competition in strategic technologies. Innovation, military advantage and the preservation of great power status appear paramount.
A cross-regional group of states has called for the launch of international negotiations to regulate lethal autonomous weapon systems, following a decade of discussions under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Some momentum for progress is visible, but the CCW’s consensus-based decision-making allows individual great powers to block decisions.
