We are pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “The AI-Military Complex: On Drones and New Ways of Warfare”, taking place on Wednesday, 15 April 2026 on the premises of our associated partner University of Klagenfurt. The event will feature Jutta Weber (University of Paderborn) and is open to all those interested in contemporary debates on technology, society, and warfare.
The Russia-Ukraine war is the first conflict to involve the use of hundreds of thousands of relatively inexpensive drones, ranging from tele-operated first-person-view models to (semi-)autonomous drones. Their deployment has fundamentally changed the nature of warfare. And more than 70% of the deaths and injuries, more and more civilian, are caused by drones. Increasingly, even autonomous drones or drone swarms are being deployed in warfare. These autonomous systems can identify and destroy targets without human intervention (“human-in-the-loop”).
But according to International Humanitarian Law, every military action must be attributable to an soldier—and not to a computer program. Among other questions, we will also discuss to what extent one can still speak of “meaningful human control” over current AI-driven drone wars.
© Jutta WeberJutta Weber
Jutta Webers research focuses on computational technoscience culture(s) asking how and for whom the non/human actors work . She is head of the BMBF research network ‘Meaningful Human Control. Autonomous Weapon Systems between Reflection and Regulation’ (MEHUCO).
© Zentrum für Friedensforschung und Friedensbildung
© Zentrum für Friedensforschung und Friedensbildung