Breakfast Briefing with Jonathan Somer
All Hands on Tech: Legal Considerations of Public-Private Collaboration on Military AI and Autonomous Weapons Systems Design and Development in Denmark
Abstract
The Danish Government’s 2021 ‘National Defence Industrial Strategy’ includes private industry as part of the Danish security architecture and aims ‘to give Denmark a bigger, stronger and more sustainable Danish defence industry’, in part by close collaboration between authorities, research institutions, and the private defence industry (including ‘spin-in’ high tech companies), referred to as triple-helix collaboration. It identifies priorities of autonomous and unmanned systems as well as advanced software and artificial intelligence (AI). So far, there has been little institutional consideration of what this public-private collaboration on military AI and autonomous weapons (AW) systems may mean regarding compliance with international humanitarian law.
The presentation aims to identify the specific issues raised by the involvement of private tech actors in the design and development of these military systems with respect to Denmark’s obligations under the applicable legal framework, and to explore to what extent emerging AI/AW systems regulatory norms and good practice take into account the involvement of the private tech industry. It will then look to what steps Denmark could take to help ensure private tech companies are equipped and incentivized to understand and apply the legal framework in military AI/AW systems design and development.
About the Speaker
Jonathan Somer is currently Legal Advisor at the Danish Red Cross. Prior to joining the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, he worked with Geneva Call and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. As a consultant, he has advised, among others, the United Nations and the Government of Denmark. He holds a law degree from the University of British Columbia and an LLM from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and has been awarded the Henry Dunant Prize for his scholarship in international humanitarian law. Jonathan will be speaking in his personal capacity and the views expressed during the event do not represent the position of the Danish Red Cross.
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