A Posthuman-Xenofeminist Analysis of the Discourse on Autonomous Weapons Systems and Other Killing Machines

Jones, E. (2018) ‘A Posthuman-Xenofeminist Analysis of the Discourse on Autonomous Weapons Systems and Other Killing Machines’, Australian Feminist Law Journal, 44(1), pp. 93–118. doi: 10.1080/13200968.2018.1465333.Abstract: In this article, I critique the current debates surrounding autonomous weapons systems, using feminist posthuman theory to make sense of such systems – and the relation between human and machine – in terms of automation and autonomy. The dominant narratives about autonomous weapons tend to present them as exceptional; they are distinct from all the other kinds of human inventions that can kill. Further attention is required, not on autonomous weapons themselves but on the delegation of killing to a far broader range of technologies across the human–machine/autonomous–automated spectrum. While current attempts at legal regulation distinguish between civil and military technologies, such a distinction becomes impossible in light of the links between civil and military technologies and the killing potential of many technologies, including artificial intelligence. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit necropolitics.substack.com