Law and the Future of War
Through conversation with experts in technology, law and military affairs, this series explores how new military technology and international law interact. Edited and produced by Dr Lauren Sanders and Dr Simon McKenzie, the podcast is published by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security. Until July 2024, the podcast was published by the University of Queensland School of Law.
Note: the views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other organisation (such as Government, or Departments of Defence), unless the speaker specifically attributes their comments to that organisation.
Law and the Future of War
Legal review of autonomous weapons - Damian Copeland
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