Overview

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow’s battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as this book makes clear, human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster.

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9781912440580

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Reviews

‘Some believe the future of war will look like SkyNet or the Matrix. But it probably won't. Paddy Walker offers a precise analysis of the feasibility and desirability of autonomous weapon systems waging wars for us. Walker's conclusions may surprise readers.’ Professor Sean McFate, Georgetown University, U.S. National Defense University, and author of The New Rules of War ‘Pandora’s Box cannot be closed.  We cannot uninvent; that which we only imagine will surely appear soon.  History teaches that we are also prone to failures of imagination, surprised by other minds willing to unleash hell to upset the status quo.  Nuclear weapons revolutionised warfare and deterrence yet were created before being understood.  Artificial Intelligence is the next quantum leap.  Paddy Walker explores the implications of humans being technically capable of handing over the decision to kill to a computer.  Don’t turn a blind eye, read this book; discover what you must do to make future generations thankful you lived.’ Air Vice-Marshal (Ret'd) Michael Harwood CB CBE, formerly Head of British Defence Staff United States ‘Paddy Walker yet again uses his shrewd analytical skills to delve into one of the thorniest challenges posed by modern warfare - how to manage advances in technology so as to maintain control on the battlefield. Walker's approach is both practical and necessary so as to ensure that human decision-making stays central to current and future wars. A must-read for all students of military history and current conflict!’ Karin von Hippel, RUSI ‘The allied military establishment is giving too little constructive thought to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS). This thoughtful and well-researched analysis of one of the greatest challenges now facing allied forces should be required reading for all diplomatic and military policy makers and their advisors.’ Major General Bill Robbins CB OBE, Formerly Director General UK Defence Information and Communication Services, Senior Research Fellow RUSI ‘This important book shows precisely why the principles and practices of international arms control and non-proliferation - too often considered to be mere relics of the Cold War - need urgently to be revisited and modernised. And with a view to the arrival on the battlefield of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, War Without Oversight makes a more fundamental point. If the organised use of violent force is to be ethically and legally constrained (and who would argue the opposite?) then humans must have oversight and must be responsible and accountable for decisions and actions taken in war.’ Professor Paul Cornish, Professor of Strategic Studies and Director, University of Exeter

Author Information

Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at RUSI and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War’s Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023.

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