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Record STMT-W517B50Advisory

De Bello Robotico. An Ethical Assessment of Military Robotics

Report UnknownGlobalunknown

This article provides a detailed description of robotic weapons and unmanned systems currently used in military contexts, followed by an ethical assessment of their actual and potential battlefield use. It reviews current technological developments across air, sea, and land systems, examines major moral and strategic objections such as discrimination errors and accountability, and evaluates them through the framework of roboethics.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

Jagiellonian UniversityAcademic · PL
Publisher
Legal forceAdvisory
Under whose authorityUnknown
Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

Researchers and academicsGeneral publicNational government

Researchers, military professionals, ethicists, and policymakers interested in the ethical, legal, and strategic implications of military robotics.

Sectors
Defence and security · military robotics and unmanned systemsResearch and science · ethics and academic research

What the document contains

What's covered

The article covers the definitions, current inventories, and military functions of unmanned aerial, maritime, and ground systems, as well as an ethical and philosophical assessment of their battlefield deployment, risks of proliferation, accountability, and future development scenarios.

What's missing

The document does not provide binding international legislation, formal regulatory frameworks, or enforceable operational standards for military robotics.

Key takeaways
  • Military unmanned systems are categorized primarily into air, sea, and land domains, serving functions classified as dull, dirty, or dangerous.
  • Key objections to military robotics include the risk of proliferation to adversaries, limited sensor discrimination capabilities, accountability gaps for war crimes, and the potential trivialization of conflict.
  • A total moratorium or ban on robotic weapons faces structural obstacles similar to the prisoner's dilemma, making international regulation a more viable path than prohibition.
  • While automated weapons introduce complex ethical concerns, human soldiers are also prone to errors and deliberate atrocities.
  • The hypothesis of a species war between humans and automata in the 21st century is considered unlikely due to metaphysical uncertainty, the complexity of consciousness, and technological safeguards.
Principles it states
Categorical imperativePrinciple of reciprocity
Outline
· Abstract
· 1. Defining Robotic Weapon
· 2. Robots of the Sky, the Sea, and the Land
· 3. The Main Functions of the Military Robots
· 4. Main Objections to the Belligerent Use of Robots
· 5. Analyses and Propositions
· 6. Scenario Analysis: Dreams and Nightmares
· 7. Conclusions
Issued2019
Length21,435 words · 30 pages
FormatNot recorded
Scopeglobal

How it scores

Pending review

Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.

Fairness

0/5

Non-discrimination and equitable treatment

screening score · 2026-10-23

Human Dignity

0/5

Respect for the inherent worth of persons

screening score · 2026-10-23

Privacy

0/5

Protection of personal data and private life

screening score · 2026-10-23

Enforcement

0/5

Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force

screening score · 2026-10-23

Impact Assessment

1/5

Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use

an ethical assessment of their actual or potential use on the battlefield

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-23

Topics

Physical AI Governancecontext
military_robotics unmanned_systems roboethics autonomous_weapons ethics_of_war