Nomos Explores the Intersection of Autonomous Weapons and Human Dignity at Expert Panel

On 16 July, a Nomos Foundation scholar took part in the sixth Human Security Salon by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung held in Vienna in a hybrid format. The event, titled "Autonomous Weapon Systems, International Law and Human Dignity," convened researchers, legal experts, and civil society voices to examine the rapidly evolving implications of military AI technologies for international law, ethics, and human security.

The session also featured the premiere of a new video essay produced by the Global Unit for Human Security, offering a critical lens on the rise of autonomous weapons systems (AWS) and the systemic risks they pose beyond traditional battlefields.

Discussions centered on the growing use of artificial intelligence in warfare—ranging from drone swarms to automated targeting systems like "Lavender"—and the increasing reliance on algorithmic processes to select and strike targets without meaningful human oversight. These developments raise significant legal and ethical concerns, particularly regarding the erosion of accountability, the potential for embedded bias, and the disproportionate harm inflicted on communities in the Global Majority.

Commenting on the event, Khalil Dewan, researcher and legal analyst, noted:

“It was genuinely refreshing to see the Human Security Unit amplify a critical narrative so often sidelined in mainstream security discourse. In my intervention, I spoke to legal pluralism, survival, and contestation — emphasizing how these lived realities actively resist and undercut the liberal violences routinely, and at times deliberately, reproduced under the guise of order, ethics, and progress."

“We urgently need more spaces that confront these uncomfortable truths and center grounded, justice-driven perspectives. Importantly, this does not simply mean leaning on conventional human rights discourse, which can itself perpetuate the same liberal violences it claims to oppose. Rather, it means mobilizing resistance through diverse legal frameworks — including, where necessary, defense and security tools — especially in an increasingly polarized world against violent state actors.”

The panel featured contributions from Dr. Caroline Wörgötter, Marit Seyer, Laura Varella, and Khalil Dewan, all of whom emphasized the urgent need to interrogate and regulate the deployment of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) through frameworks that prioritize human dignity, plurality, and justice.

The Nomos Foundation thanks the organizers and participants for fostering this timely and necessary dialogue. As part of its ongoing work, Nomos remains committed to critical, interdisciplinary research that challenges dominant security paradigms and supports equitable approaches to global governance and emerging technologies.