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Humanity at the Crossroads: Human Rights Challenges in the Age of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2025

Asif Ali Open the ORCID record for Asif Ali [Opens in a new window]  and
Subramanian Ramamurthy
Asif Ali
Affiliation:
PhD Candidate, Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Email: asifali.amu1996@gmail.com.
Subramanian Ramamurthy
Affiliation:
Associate Professor, Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Email: essaresm@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has enriched the lives of people around the globe. However, the emergence of AI-powered lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) has become a significant concern for the international community. LAWS are computer-based weapon systems capable of completing their missions, including identifying and engaging targets without direct human intervention. The use of such weapons poses significant challenges to compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law. Scholars have extensively examined LAWS in the context of humanitarian law; however, their implications for human rights warrant further discussion. Against this backdrop, this paper analyzes the human rights challenges posed by LAWS under international law. It argues that using LAWS in warfare and domestic law enforcement operations could violate human rights, such as the rights to life, human dignity, and remedy, among others. Thus, it calls for a prohibition of the use of killer robots against humans.

Keywords

artificial intelligencehuman dignityhuman rights lawinternational humanitarian lawlethal autonomous weapon systemsright to liferight to remedy

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Article
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International Journal of Legal Information , Volume 53 , Issue 1 , Spring 2025 , pp. 2 - 13
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by International Association of Law Libraries

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