How the advances in Artificial Intelligence throw new challenge to the international humanitarian law? Discuss in the light of recent technological advances in defence equipment due to artificial intelligence.

The dynamics of wars throughout history have been dependent on the power to wield new technologies. Artificial Intelligence has been shaped into highly sophisticated, autonomous and fast defence equipment over the years. Governments and private players are constantly developing newer technologies to integrate defence landscape with robots. This has called for the need to work out urgent and acceptable norms in warfare in response to swiftly expanding new technologies.
 
Human Rights concerns:

• Advances in Artificial Intelligence in defence have come to challenge international humanitarian law. Developments in automation have raised concerns about the new age weapons transgressing all human error and ethics.
• New norms of warfare as a concerned response to advanced technology have to be put in place.
• Advanced technology may decide life and death completely without human interference or control. This may prove catastrophic. There are valid concerns about weaponisation of AI technologies.

The way ahead lies in the multi-lateral governmental forums must come up with viable international norms which need to be integrated to national regulatory approaches and self-regulation of industry. Latter has to be in tune with all facets of international humanitarian law. There has been a tremendous progress in the way wars are fought yet the strategic balance between attack and defence has to be maintained.

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