Janko Balšić ^*

INTERNATIONAL LAW REGULATION OF THE AUTONOMOUS WEAPON SYSTEM (AWS)**

Summary

Considering the rapid technological development and the need to adapt international law to new challenges, the author tries to shed light on the key dilemmas and potential development directions for the regulation of the autonomous weapon systems (AWS). In the modern world, AWS are attracting increasing attention due to the moral, legal, humanitarian and other consequences they can cause in the context of global security. These systems can recognise, select and attack targets autonomously, without direct human intervention, and so they represent a technological advancement that brings numerous challenges. In the first part of the paper, the author deals with the concept of AWS, where the focus is placed on autonomy as its crucial element. In the second part of the paper, the author tries to find the place of AWS in the existing international normative framework. In the third part, the author analyses the work of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), which has been discussing pressing issues related to new technologies in AWS for years under the framework of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW). Finally, the author presents conclusions on this topic, providing insight into possible directions of future activities and emphasising the importance of the fundamental rules of international humanitarian law.

Key words: Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS), International Humanitarian Law, Martens Clause, Hague Conventions, Geneva Conventions, Article 36 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, UN Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), Guiding Principles.

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* Secretary-General at the National Entity for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NEAQA).

** The paper won the second prize "Dr. Stefan Andonović (1991-2021)" in 2024, in the competition titled "The Legal Framework of Artificial Intelligence – Potential and Risk in the Future."