Written question asked by Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 18 January 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 February 2022. It was answered by Baroness Goldie (Conservative) on Thursday, 27 January 2022 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Autonomous Weapons

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of increasing autonomy in weapons systems on (1) civilian protection, and (2) compliance with international humanitarian law.

Answer: The deployment in armed conflict of any weapon system - including one with autonomous functions - which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians would be contrary to International Humanitarian LAW (IHL) and therefore unlawful. We strongly believe that AI and autonomy within weapon systems can and must be used lawfully and ethically. Autonomous systems have the potential to support the better application of IHL by improving the evidence, analysis and timeliness of decision making.

Secondary information