This seminar will be held online on Zoom. You can register here.

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About New War Technologies and International Law

The desire for humanity and the desire for security have co-existed as long as humans have been alive. As science has become increasingly sophisticated, so have the methods of self-defence by States. Nanotechnology is already changing warfare by increasing capabilities upon which armed forces are heavily reliant: more efficient energy storage, advanced photovoltaics, and improved military protective equipment to name a few of these developments. Some applications of nanomaterials by the military are both powerful and subtle, and have neurological and biological applications: 'devices that can infiltrate electronics and seize control at crucial moments, artificial “disease” agents that can rest harmlessly in victims' bodies until activated by an external signal'. The advance of the use or contemplation of use of these types of nanoscale applications by the military requires urgent analysis in light of existing international law, particularly in light of their potential effects on humans and on the environment.

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About Dr Kobi Leins

Kobi Leins is Senior Visiting Research Fellow at King's College, London; an Expert for Standards Australia providing technical advice to the International Standards Organisation on forthcoming AI Standards; Co-founder of IEEE's Responsible Innovation of AI and the Life Sciences; Non-Resident Fellow of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research; and Advisory Board Member of the Carnegie Initiative on AI and Equality.