Chapter

Programming precision? Requiring robust transparency for AWS

Steven J. Barela and Avery Plaw

Lethal autonomous weapons : re-examining the law and ethics of robotic warfare

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2021

p. 73-88

English

This chapter argues that any effective response to autonomous weapons systems (AWS) must be underpinned by a comprehensive transparency regime that is fed by robust and reliable reporting mechanisms. Firstly, there is a preexisting transparency gap in the deployment of core weapon systems that would be automated (such as currently remote-operated UCAVs). Second, while the Pentagon has made initial plans for addressing moral, ethical, and legal issues raised against AWS, there remains a need for effective transparency measures. Third, transparency is vital to ensure that AWS are only used with traceable lines of accountability and within established parameters.

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• Lethal autonomous weapons : re-examining the law and ethics of robotic warfare / edited by Jai Galliott, Duncan MacIntosh & Jens David Ohlin