INTRODUCTION
What is the impact of technology on warfare? We are in an age where technology is rapidly altering warfare. The recent development of autonomous weapon systems has altered the trajectory of warfare and ignited strong debate among various countries. These debates are centred on whether or not these systems advance military strategy or pose an exceptional threat to human rights.
Humans have always engaged in warfare, often fought for economic, political, or religious reasons. This necessitated the creation of weapons and tools to fight, from the Stone Age weapons like clubs, and stones were used. During the Iron Age, swords, bows and arrows were made. Today we have seen tremendous growth with the introduction of autonomous weapon systems. These systems have changed the trajectory of modern-day battles. As they are capable of acting independently, targeting, destroying, and causing harm with little to no human intervention.
As stated earlier, there are so many debates arising from the discourse on the utilisation of these systems. Some countries are in support of the outright ban of these systems due to the possible danger these systems pose to humanity if they fall into the wrong hands. However, other countries support the use of these systems especially for military purposes as they reduce potential harm to foot soldiers. Nonetheless, it is crucial to establish rules and regulations to guide the use of these systems.
According to the United Nations(UN) human rights, are inalienable rights that every human being is entitled to these rights by their humanity. Several documents have been drafted to address and support these human rights issues. Some of these documents include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and many others. These documents emphasize the need to protect human beings from harm, abuse, unfair treatment and danger.
WHAT ARE AUTONOMOUS WEAPON SYSTEMS?
It is important to note that there is no universally accepted definition of autonomous weapon systems, which has posed a significant challenge over time. However, various countries and international organizations have proposed different definitions. For example, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) defines autonomous weapon systems as “Any weapon system with autonomy in its critical functions. That is, a weapon system that can select (i.e., search for or detect, identify, track, select) and attack (i.e., use force against, neutralize, damage, or destroy) targets without human intervention.” In simple terms, a weapon system capable of acting without human intervention qualifies as an autonomous weapon system. Autonomous weapon systems have been referred to as “the third revolution in warfare, after nuclear arms and gunpowder.”
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) further defines autonomous weapon systems as “A weapon system that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator. This includes human-supervised autonomous weapon systems that are designed to allow human operators to override the operation of the weapon system but can select and engage targets without further human input after activation.” From these definitions, it can be deduced that autonomous weapon systems are weapons capable of acting independently with little to no human supervision.
EXPLORING AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS THROUGH CASE STUDIES OF THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
On October 7th, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups attacked southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. This armed incursion has led to mass genocide and retaliation from the Israeli army, claiming the lives of both civilians and soldiers. According to various reports, the Israeli military has relied heavily on Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems.
Reports have shown that Israel has been utilizing AI systems to make decisions for generating target locations for killings. These systems generate data with humans playing a relatively small role in the decision-making process, especially during the initial stage of the war. Three major AI weapon systems have been deployed during this war. The first system is called “Habsora,” which is translated to mean “the Gospel,” and is used to map out buildings or Hamas hideouts. The second system is “Lavender,” which is used to gather information about a person’s likelihood of being a militant or having an affiliation with militants. After gathering this data, people who receive higher ratings are put on a kill list. Finally, an AI system known as “Where’s Daddy?” is used to track suspected militants in their family homes, informing the Israeli army when they are present.
It is crucial to state that these systems are not free of errors. Various news outlets have reported that the “Lavender” system sometimes identifies civilians with no link or affiliation to terrorist groups. It is said that it makes errors in 10% of cases. Additionally, the Israeli army uses these systems with little to no human supervision. It has been reported that it takes an officer at least 20 seconds to confirm target locations identified by these systems.
EFFECT OF AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
As stated previously, by our human nature, every person is endowed with fundamental rights to protect and safeguard them from harm, danger, and unfair or unjust treatment. These rights have been codified in various international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the United Nations Charter, and many others that focus on safeguarding human lives. It is also important to emphasize that countries today have adopted these fundamental rights for the benefit of their citizens.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provides that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. This supports the earlier point that, as human beings, we are entitled to rights by our very nature. Article 3 further stresses that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
The introduction of these systems poses a huge threat to humanity as mass irreversible damage can be done through their utilization. For instance, it has been estimated that the “Gospel” system has killed over 15,000 people. Another report stated that the “Lavender” system identified 37,000 Palestinians as potential targets during the first few weeks of the war.
These systems generate target locations faster than humans, leading to an increase in casualties as more lives are lost in the process. It has been recorded that under Lavender’s algorithm, it is acceptable for a hundred civilians to die in a bombing targeted against a single or Islamic Jihad official, as this system is designed to attack when these individuals are at home. These incidents raise relevant questions about the effect of utilizing these systems on human rights. If improperly used and widely developed, countries or terrorist organizations could wipe out large numbers of people within minutes, leaving defenceless individuals with little to no chance of protection. These systems can be used as weapons of mass destruction and cause significant harm to people. Ultimately, this raises the issue of whether or not AI systems and algorithms decide who lives and who dies.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, autonomous weapon systems are weapons that can perform tasks with minimal human intervention. Today, these systems have been used to facilitate wars, as we have explored using the case study of the Israel-Hamas war. These systems pose a significant threat to human rights; therefore, there is an urgent need for policies to be established to reduce the risk of harm that could potentially occur due to their utilization. As technology encounters exponential growth, how can we guarantee it serves humanity rather than threaten it?
Author(s) Name: Wisdom Agonyehemen (Bowen University)
