In the hierarchy

1. Part II: Societal & Human Concerns
2. D11. Malicious Use & Weaponization
3. 11.4 Autonomous weapons & military AI

Virtues and principles to explore

Held as inquiry, not as a verdict.

• Courage

  Hope

  Act without the comfort of certainty.

• Stewardship

  Service

  Hold what is built in trust for those who will live with it.

• Prudence

  Excellence

  Small, reversible steps before irreversible ones.

Starter questions

Written to probe curiosity and learning, not accusation.

1. 01If a colleague raised this concern tomorrow, how would we receive it as inquiry rather than accusation?
2. 02What capacity would we need — in people, in the institution, in the tools — to meet this well?
3. 03What would Prudence require of us here, before we proceed?
4. 04What might we be missing if we treat “Cyberwar automation” only as a technical problem?

Also on this branch

• Lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS)15
• Swarm-drone attacks12
• AI-enabled targeting20
• AI decision-support in nuclear command10
• Loitering munitions with AI20
• AI-generated OSINT for military ops20

Who is working on it

Cited for their public writing. Citation is not endorsement, partnership, or affiliation.

• International Committee of the Red Cross

Frameworks and sources

• MIT AI Incident Trackerincidents
• MITRE ATLASframework
• International humanitarian law (IHL)framework

  The body of law that governs the conduct of armed conflict and the protection of people who are not fighting, which applies to AI used in or for conflict.

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning in armed conflict: a human-centred approachposition paper
• Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Armed Conflictguidance
• ICRC law and policy hub on AIguidance