Britain’s plan for defence AI risks the ethical and legal integrity of the military

Autonomous technology on the battlefield may not look like 'killer robots', but still has huge ethical implications. TSViPhoto/Shutterstock

In an unstable geopolitical climate, the UK’s strategic defence review focused on improving national resilience, from critical infrastructure security to technology and innovation. Many of the review’s recommendations have to do with transforming defence through artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy, to make the armed forces “ten times more lethal”.

These recommendations and investments ...