Killer Robots and Autonomous Weapons: The New Frontier of Digital Warfare

The growing automation of warfare has ushered in a phase where machines not only support but increasingly replace human beings in combat decisions. So-called killer robots, or lethal autonomous weapon systems, are designed to identify and strike targets without direct human intervention. This is no longer science fiction; it is already central to military programs in several major powers. The adoption of such technologies promises immediate advantages, including fewer human casualties for the deploying side and faster operational tempo. Yet the ethical and political implications are profound, as the decision over life and death shifts from a moral agent to an algorithm. This is not simply a technical innovation but a structural change in the relationship between war, responsibility, and power. The central question is whether delegating violence to autonomous machines can ever be compatible with international law and with the very idea of humanity itself.