Focus Area

Autonomous weapons

A movement towards greater autonomy in weapons systems risks a dehumanised future of machines being tasked to apply force and kill without people understanding or being fully responsible for the consequences.

We are working for a new international legal treaty covering a broad scope of sensor-based weapons systems, which must prohibit fundamentally unacceptable systems and keep control over the rest.

Article 36 coined the term meaningful human control to help structure discussions on the functions and principles that must be retained in critical decisions on the application of force. We are part of the leadership of the civil society Campaign to Stop Killer Robots.

Featured image: A crew member performs maintenance on a Phalanx close-in weapons system. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Ethan J. Soto/Released https://flic.kr/p/281oAF3

Latest content on this issue

Nov 2024 Conference statement Article 36 statement delivered by Laura Boillot, CCW Meeting of State Parties, 14 November 2024
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Nov 2024 publication Article 36 Podcast: all episodes
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Aug 2024 Conference statement No reason to delay negotiations: statement to the CCW GGE on autonomous weapons
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Jul 2024 post Why the new UK government should support a treaty on autonomous weapons
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Jul 2024 publication Why the new UK government should support a treaty on autonomous weapons
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May 2024 post Vienna Conference: Humanity at the Crossroads – Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Challenge of Regulation
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May 2024 publication Submission to the UN Secretary-General on an international legal instrument on autonomous weapons
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May 2024 Conference statement Remarks to Vienna conference on autonomous weapons and the challenge of regulation
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Apr 2024 publication The European Defence Fund: autonomous weapons and the EU budget
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