Human Rights Implications of Autonomous Weapon Systems in Domestic Law Enforcement: Sci-fi Reflections on a lo-fi Reality
Andrea Spagnolo · Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) · 2017
Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) and human rights: An introduction to the debateNovelists and filmmakers have been speculating on the interaction between human beings and robots for years.Isaac Asimov, in particular, devoted an important part of his bibliography to the issue.He created a world where robots are integrated in our society and regulated by the famous three laws of robotics: '1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.' 1 Witnessing that the scenario depicted by Asimov is becoming a reality is a strange feeling.It is even more strange to notice that the three laws he elaborated in his novels sound tremendously topical 2 in the presentday debate on the legal and ethical issues raised by the use of autonomous weapon systems (AWS).A debate 3 that is for its largest part focused on