134 7 CHAPTER 7 7.1 EMERGING INSIGHTS Over the course of this research spanning the past five years, other scholars have published their recent research and new insights have emerged. During the update of our literature review we discovered two developments touching on our research that are worth mentioning. First a proposal for a value-neutral definition by Taddeo and Blanchard (2022) and second the work on defining the concept of Meaningful Human Control continued. We will provide a brief overview of both developments and briefly analyse the implications on our research. Value-neutral definition of Autonomous Weapon Systems In their comparative analysis of twelve existing definitions of Autonomous Weapon Systems by states or key international actors, Taddeo and Blanchard (2022) found that these definitions emphasize different aspects of Autonomous Weapon Systems and therefore lead to different approaches to address legal and ethical challenges with these type of weapon systems. They provide a value-neutral definition of Autonomous Weapon Systems based on four aspects: 1) autonomy, 2) adapting capabilities, 3) human control, 4) purpose of use – all of which are key according to them when considering ethical and legal challenges. The definition they drafted reads as follows: ‘an artificial agent which, at the very minimum, is able to change its own internal states to achieve a given goal, or set of goals, within its dynamic operating environment and without the direct intervention of another agent and may also be endowed with some abilities for changing its own transition rules without the intervention of another agent, and which is deployed with the purpose of exerting kinetic force against a physical entity (whether an object or a human being) and to this end is able to identify, select or attack the target without the intervention of another agent is an AWS. Once deployed, AWS can be operated with or without some forms of human control (in, on or out the loop). A lethal AWS is specific subset of an AWS with the goal of exerting kinetic force against human beings.’ (Taddeo & Blanchard, 2022, p. 15). We agree with the conclusion of Taddeo and Blanchard (2022, p. 18): ‘The debate on AWS is shaped by strategic, political, and ethical considerations. Competing interests and values contribute to polarize the debate, while politically loaded definitions of AWS undermine efforts to identify legitimate uses and to define relevant regulations.’ The value-neutral definition of Autonomous Weapon Systems that they offer is a valuable addition to the academic and political debate. The implication for our research is limited, because only one aspect (highlighted in both definitions) is similar as the definition of
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