Abstract
At the center of the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous weapon systems (AWS) is the challenge of human control. AI has the potential to reshape the boundaries of military capabilities. In particular, the increasing sophistication of AWS necessitates a deep examination of the balance between machine autonomy and the role and requirements of human decision-makers. In pursuit of this balance, the concept of meaningful human control emerged. It is a concept born of necessity and offers a platform to reexamine and redefine the scope of human involvement in critical and time-sensitive decision-making. MHC has become a defining feature in AWS regulation, but as a concept and a term it presents significant hurdles for its vagueness, lack of practice, and absence of global consensus. To move the needle on the practical realization of human control in AWS, we need to take a considered look at who the decision-makers are and what decisions they make throughout a weapon system life cycle. This article is the first of a three-part series that deconstructs the stages of the weapon system life cycle to explore critical decisions made at three stages: design and development, operational deployment, and tactical engagement. Examining each phase helps understand who is making these decisions, what those decisions are, when those decisions are made, and what the overall implications of those decisions are on the performance of a weapon system. This first article explores the design/development phase.
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