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Ethical Dynamics of Autonomous Weapon Systems

Authors:
Marcus Frølich
Mo Mansouri

Keywords: autonomous weapon system, ethical dynamics, causal loop diagram, systems thinking, systems engineering

Abstract:
Introducing an Autonomous Weapon System (AWS) to warfighting has a multitude of intertwined military and civilian consequences. As we are in the early phase of this shift towards autonomy, we can still influence development and legislation. That makes such investigations valuable. Much has been written and debated about the ethical implications of AWS, but little about how these ethical questions interact. This paper models the ethical dynamics of AWS, using a causal loop diagram that shows causal links between topics related to military use and civilian acceptance. Using this novel approach to describe the ethical implications of introducing AWS, otherwise hard-to-find interactions are highlighted. Based on this model, two leverage points and their effects are discussed: feedback on soldier infractions and live/recorded battlefield data.

Pages: 50 to 56

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2021

Publication date: April 18, 2021

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4243

ISBN: 978-1-61208-838-9

Location: Porto, Portugal

Dates: from April 18, 2021 to April 22, 2021