Law and the Future of War

Legal review of autonomous weapons - Damian Copeland

January 27, 2022 UQ Law and the Future of War Season 3 Episode 2
Law and the Future of War
Legal review of autonomous weapons - Damian Copeland
Show Notes

In this episode, Dr Lauren Sanders talks with Damian Copeland about one of the most important legal issues raised by autonomous weapons: how states might carry out weapons reviews of these technologies. The application of this obligation to autonomous weapons will have several challenges. Where a device has the capacity for self-learning, will one single review suffice? Will States be able to take on trust reviews carried out by weapons developers?

Damian Copeland is a part-time Senior Research Fellow with the UQ Law and Future of War Project. He is also a serving member of the Australian Defence Force and a Director at International Weapons Review, an Incorporated Legal Practice specialising in the legal review of new technology weapons.

Further reading:
ICRC - A Guide to the Review of New Weapons, Methods and Means of Warfare, updated 2020
Tim McFarland - The status of autonomous weapon systems under international humanitarian law, published 2017
Natalia Jevglevskaja - International Law and Weapons Review,  published 22 Jan 2022
Dustin Lewis - Legal reviews of weapons, means and methods of warfare involving artificial intelligence: 16 elements to consider, published 21 Mar 2019