Professor Nehal Bhuta discusses the use of AI in warfare on ABC Radio

Professor Nehal Bhuta, Chair of Public International Law, was interviewed on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National’s, The National Hour with Fran Kelly, a weekday national current affairs program that takes a thoughtful, deep dive into important and challenging issues through insightful and engaging conversations. Radio National is the ABC’s equivalent of BBC Four.

During the show, Professor Bhuta discussed the legal and ethical implications of AI-driven weapons systems, following the recent UN General Assembly meeting aimed at reviving efforts to regulate autonomous weapons increasingly deployed in modern warfare.

He explained that potential UN solutions might include establishing clear definitions for prohibited AI-assisted weapons and creating frameworks for the responsible and lawful use of AI technology in conflicts. One of the central challenges with AI-enabled systems, he noted, is determining responsibility when such systems violate international humanitarian law—a problem that a formal treaty could help address.

On the show Professor Bhuta said: “I think what is desperately needed is not a new set of rules, in terms of the substance of the conduct of hostilities, it’s some form of commitment by states as to how they are going to make these rules effective in the creation and use of such systems. And I think there, there is certainly a role for international law.”

Listen to the full interview

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