Event information

23 March 2022, 18:15-19:45

Autonomous Weapons Impact on International Governance

Military Briefings

A remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper operated by the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing flies a routine training mission over Central New York. A remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper operated by the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing flies a routine training mission over Central New York.

After having introduced and subdivided autonomous weapons into two categories: ‘High end’ and ‘Over the Counter’, this Military Briefing with Professor Chris Jenks will discuss how these categories may impact the following three different aspects of international governance:

  • Jus ad Bellum, the international law governing the resort to force
  • Jus in Bello, the international law regulating the conduct of hostilities
  • The arms/export control regime.

Speaker

Chris Jenks is a Professor of Law at the SMU Dedman School of Law, in Dallas, Texas, where he teaches international humanitarian law, criminal law and evidence. His research considers the impact of emerging technology on accountability norms across the armed conflict spectrum. He is currently on leave from SMU on a fellowship at the Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence in Washington DC. Prior to joining academia, Chris Jenks served for more than 20 years in the US military, as an infantry officer and a judge advocate, serving in Kuwait, Bosnia, Korea, and Iraq. He later became the chief of the international law branch for the US Army in the Pentagon.

In 2015 he received a Fulbright Scholars grant and researched autonomous weapons as part of an interdisciplinary group at Melbourne Law School in Australia. He has presented at a United Nations (UN) Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons meeting on autonomous weapons and twice served as a member of the United States delegation to subsequent UN meetings. He has testified on autonomous weapons before the US Congres Helsinki Commission and worked with both the US Defense Innovation Board and the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. He has authored book chapters and articles on autonomous weapons, including a definition of ‘drones’ and ‘autonomous weapons’ for the Brill Companion to International Humanitarian Law.

About the Military Briefings

Military Briefings are a unique series of events relating to military institutions and the law. They aim to improve our students’ knowledge of military actors and operations and build bridges between the military and civilian worlds.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

News

The Jean-Pictet Competition: Learning Beyond the Classroom

10 December 2024

Each year, the Geneva Academy sends a team of students to the Jean-Pictet Competition. Participating in this leading moot court is a life-changing experience and an integral part of our programmes.

Read more

Ambassador Jürg Lauber News

Opening Lecture by the President of the Human Rights Council

24 February 2025

Following his election as President of the Human Rights Council, we had the honour of welcoming Ambassador Jürg Lauber for the Geneva Academy's Spring Semester Opening Lecture.

Read more

Warzone Event

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

25-29 August 2025, 09:00-17:30

Co-hosted with the ICRC, this event aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research international humanitarian law, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates.

Read more

Event

Strengths and Challenges of Inter-State Applications Before the European Court of Human Rights

12 May 2025, 18:30-20:00

In this Geneva Academy Talk Judge Lətif Hüseynov will discuss the challenges of inter-State cases under the ECHR, especially amid rising conflict-related applications.

Read more

Neutrotechology Project

Neurotechnology and Human Rights

Started in August 2023

This project addresses the human rights implications stemming from the development of neurotechnology for commercial, non-therapeutic ends, and is based on a partnership between the Geneva Academy, the Geneva University Neurocentre and the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee. 

Read more

Screenshot of the RULAC webpage Project

Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC)

Started in May 2007

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) is a unique online portal that identifies and classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law (IHL). It is primarily a legal reference source for a broad audience, including non-specialists, interested in issues surrounding the classification of armed conflicts under IHL.

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more

Cover Page of Research Brief Publication

Sending Up a Flare: Autonomous Weapons Systems Proliferation Risks to Human Rights and International Security

published on August 2024

Leif Monnett

Read more