Article

Defining the emerging notion of "meaningful human control" in weapon systems

Thompson Chengeta

• New York University journal of international law and politics, Vol. 49, no. 3, p. 833-890

English

Source: https://www.nyujilp.org/print-edition/volumes-50-41/ (last accessed on 13.04.2022)

The emerging notion of “Meaningful Human Control” (MHC) was suggested by the UK-based NGO Article 36 as a possible solution to the challenges that are posed by Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS). Various states, NGOs, and scholars have welcomed the MHC proposition. Although other terms such as “appropriate levels of human judgment” have been sug- gested, MHC has gained more traction. The challenge remains, however, that both the terms MHC and “appropriate levels of human judgment” are not defined in international law and as of present, there is no literature that extensively or normatively defines either of the terms. From a normative standpoint, the choice between MHC and “appropriate levels of human judgment” is inconsequential since the definition that one ascribes to either of the terms will still be applicable to the other. To that end, this Article discusses questions that are helpful in defining MHC—and by extension “appropriate levels of human judgement”—and it concludes by proposing a working definition.

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