On 16 May, ELAC convened a side event to the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems on Applying International Law to Autonomous Weapons Systems at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. The side event, moderated by Research Officer Tsvetelina van Benthem, included speakers from the delegations of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the State of Palestine, and the United Kingdom, and sought to move beyond the assertion that international law applies to autonomous weapons and examine how precisely the law applies. The purpose of the panel was to explore the methodology of making claims about the content of international law, discuss the areas of convergence and disagreement on the elements of specific obligations, and reflect on possible next steps.
Tsvetelina also submitted written evidence on the application of international law to autonomous weapons systems to the UK Parliament Lords Select Committee on AI in Weapon Systems, which is available here.
