Considering the importance of autonomous weapon system design factors to future military leaders. Issue 2 (4th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Galliott, Jai; Wyatt, Austin
• Is Part Of: Australian journal of international affairs. Volume 76:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 219
• Page End: 244
• Publication Date: 2022-03-04
• Subjects: Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems -- meaningful human control -- design factors -- Military Ethics; Australia -- Foreign relations -- Periodicals; East Asia -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 327
• DOI: 10.1080/10357718.2021.1940093
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1035-7718

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Despite the growing breadth of research related to the perceived risks and benefits of Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS), there remains a dearth of research into understanding how perceptions of AWS among military officers are affected by design factors. This paper demonstrates that ease of use, and user perception of the concept of using an autonomous weapon system, would be less of a barrier to trusted deployment by this emerging generation of military leaders than ensuring that autonomous systems have robust, transparent and reliable decision-making processes and that operators or supervisors are able to meaningfully monitor the systems nominally under their command. The core contribution of this paper addresses the question of how deliberate design choices could improve or diminish the capacity of junior officers to exercise meaningful human control over autonomous systems.