Evaluating the Threat of Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS)

The UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) broadly categorizes LAWS as a weapon system that incorporates autonomy in its critical functions—specifically the ability to independently select and engage targets without further human intervention after activation. The possibility of imminent widespread use raised serious ethical, legal, and accountability concerns. Conversely, taking human lives out of direct conflict has the potential to greatly reduce on-ground fatalities, among other things. While several General Assembly resolutions, like Resolution L.41, provide recommendations and urge the high contracting bodies of the CCW to work towards a binding instrument, serious issues remain that must be addressed, notably the accountability gap regarding which party is responsible if one of these systems violates humanitarian law. Delegates will tackle the intense negotiations surrounding the regulation of LAWS.