Contact Tracing for Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems? Governance Mechanisms to Enhance Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) are emerging and futuristic technologies gathering increasing global attention, especially in relation to their dual-use components. Although the international community has not come to an agreement on the definition of LAWS, states have nonetheless articulated their concern through dialogue and fora about these machines, which could use artificial intelligence (AI) to complete an objective requiring movement across uncertain environments and the use of kinetic force on uncertain targets in the parameters of a designated mission. A distinction between LAWS and other robots is the former’s ability to decide whether to employ lethal force independent of human oversight. In considering possible measures for responding to the threats LAWS may pose (through their anonymity especially) to international peace and security, this article recommends policy-makers contemplate adopting early, pragmatic approaches for the regulation of LAWS from an arms control perspective. In attempting to consider an approach for governance mechanisms to bolster non-proliferation, the article draws on the notion of ‘contact tracing,’ which will have become familiar to readers as a process to record the transmission of COVID-19 within and between communities, frequently assisted through the adoption of digital contact-tracing technologies. The first section of the article explores current debates and considers existing mechanisms within the United Nations to deliver such measures from an arms control context. The second section of the article proposes ‘tracing’ through distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) to deter against the proliferation of LAWS and to provide governance options for the introduction of a decentralized records management system on LAWS.