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Key research themes
1. How can ethical principles and legal doctrines inform the programming and use of lethal autonomous robots in scenarios of unavoidable harm?
This theme investigates the integration of ethical and legal reasoning, especially regarding necessity and justification, into the autonomous decision-making of lethal robots. It aims to provide actionable frameworks for programming autonomous systems that must sometimes choose between harmful outcomes, reflecting both ethical theories like Just War and legal doctrines governing emergencies.
Key finding: This paper reconstructs key Anglo-American legal principles embedded in the doctrine of necessity and explores their applicability to programming autonomous vehicles in emergency situations where harm is unavoidable. It shows... Read more
Key finding: This paper analyzes criminal liability frameworks in the context of robots causing harm, emphasizing that robots themselves cannot bear criminal responsibility due to lack of moral agency. Instead, liability falls on humans... Read more
Key finding: This work presents a structured ethical evaluation schema for autonomous robotic systems, distinguishing between non-lethal and lethal uses, and incorporating legal and operational aspects. It synthesizes international... Read more
2. What are the ethical challenges and architectural solutions for embedding lawful and ethical behavior into lethal autonomous robots used in warfare?
This research theme focuses on the technical and ethical challenges of ensuring that lethal autonomous robots comply with the Laws of War, Rules of Engagement, and ethical constraints during combat. It explores architectures and control systems (such as ethical governors) designed to enforce compliance, prevent unethical lethal actions, and maintain accountability in autonomous battlefield systems.
Key finding: The paper articulates the philosophical motivation and necessity for embedding an ethical control system within autonomous battlefield robots. It emphasizes adherence to Just War principles including discrimination and... Read more
Key finding: This research describes the design and implementation of an ethical governor component that acts as a real-time filter to evaluate and restrict lethal actions by autonomous robots. By enforcing compliance with Laws of War and... Read more
Key finding: The authors propose that autonomous robots equipped with ethical infrastructures ('humanoids') can potentially be more humane in warfare than humans by abiding by ethical constraints and reducing violations. They distinguish... Read more
Key finding: Though less explicit on empirical findings, this work details the conceptual framing and justification for architectures that govern lethal behavior in autonomous robots. It highlights the importance of controlling autonomous... Read more
3. What moral and societal considerations arise from the deployment of lethal autonomous robots, including respect for human dignity and public attitudes?
This theme explores the ethical objections and societal implications of delegating lethal decision-making to machines, focusing on concepts of human dignity, moral emotions, military honor, and public revulsion. It evaluates arguments for and against the deployment of lethal autonomous systems grounded in respect—both for human individuals and for prevailing public or cultural attitudes—and assesses the strength and limits of these considerations in policy formulation.
Key finding: The paper argues that the fundamental moral issue is whether killing decisions should be relinquished to machines, concluding such delegation is inherently disrespectful to human dignity and violates principles of military... Read more
Key finding: Addressing Robert Sparrow's argument about public revulsion against LAWS, this paper differentiates between respect for public attitudes and deeper respect for human dignity. It concludes that while conventional attitudes... Read more
Key finding: This article highlights the underexplored dimension of how lethal autonomous robots challenge international legal assumptions about humanity and dignity, emphasizing the importance of reflecting on human-machine interactions.... Read more
Key finding: This work critically examines the ethical implications of transferring more autonomous lethal decision-making powers to robots. It underscores psychological and moral issues, such as the detachment of human operators and the... Read more