The article analyzes modern trends in militarization of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as international legal challenges arising in the context of their rapid integration into the military sphere. Analysis of case studies (the incident with the explosions of IoT devices in Lebanon, the use of Israeli AI systems “Lavender” and “Gospel”, and the U.S. “COMPASS” platform) demonstrates that civilian and dual use technologies are becoming instruments of hybrid conflicts. This generates new types of threats and complicates the legal distinction between peaceful and military use of such technologies. Special attention is paid to the problem of responsibility for the use of autonomous systems, issues of compliance with international humanitarian law, as well as institutional regulatory formats – from the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) to new international initiatives (such as “REAIM”, the UN and the European Union projects). The article reveals contradictory approaches of various states to regulating military AI, analyzes technological and ethical aspects of the automation of decision-making and protection of civilians. The need to develop flexible and transparent international legal mechanisms capable of ensuring a balance between innovative development and the protection of the fundamental rights of individuals, society and the state in the era of autonomous AI is justified.
V. Kozyulin (Wed,) studied this question.