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6 September 2021
In the new podcast series ‘Lethal Autonomous Weapons: 10 Things We Want to Know’ launched in July, Professor Paola Gaeta and her research team discuss with other experts the challenges and problems raised by lethal autonomous weapons (‘LAWS‘).
The series will run until December 2021 with one episode published every other Wednesday.
The podcast is available on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Simplecast.
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The 10 episodes are of interest to students, practitioners, researchers and all those who want to enhance their knowledge of thorny issues related to the development and use of LAWS.
For instance, the podcast discusses issues such as the concept of autonomy in weapon systems, the compatibility of LAWS with international humanitarian law (IHL), of the question of the attribution of responsibility in case of failures of autonomous weapons, whether LAWS are ethical, and the respect for human rights when LAWS are used in law enforcement operations.
‘This podcast series has an interview format, and we get to talk to amazing people on burning questions related to algorithmic warfare and the development of lethal autonomous weapons. It will enrich the knowledge and curiosity of all those who want to enhance their understanding of the scope, implications and risks of increasing autonomy in weapons systems’ explains Professor Gaeta.
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This podcast series is part of larger research led by Professor Gaeta on the LAWS and War Crimes based at the International Law Department of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
The project focuses on the criminal responsibility of the user of autonomous weapons and of the human-operator in mixed systems, as it is in this area that the risk of a responsibility gap is greatest.
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Besides Professor Gaeta, the podcast series involves our former Teaching Assistant Dr Alessandra Spadaro, a Research Associate in Professor Gaeta's research team.
In episode 3, which has just been released, Professor Marco Sassòli also discusses whether lethal autonomous weapons, also called killer robots, can comply with international humanitarian law.
The podcast covers issues addressed in Professor Gaeta's course on international criminal law for our LLM students, in particular the question of criminal responsibility for war crimes committed on the battlefield.
Graduate Institute
Geneva Academy
Applications for the upcoming academic year of our Online Executive Master – MAS in International Law in Armed Conflict - are now open. They will remain open until 30 May 2025, with courses starting at the end of September 2025.
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Our research brief 'Neurotechnology - Integrating Human Rights in Regulation' examines the human rights challenges posed by the rapid development of neurotechnology.
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In this Geneva Academy Talk Judge Lətif Hüseynov will discuss the challenges of inter-State cases under the ECHR, especially amid rising conflict-related applications.
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This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.
Participants in this training course will be introduced to the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as international environmental law and its implementation and enforcement mechanisms.
UNAMID
This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.
The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) is a unique online portal that identifies and classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law (IHL). It is primarily a legal reference source for a broad audience, including non-specialists, interested in issues surrounding the classification of armed conflicts under IHL.
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy