S5E8: Autonomous Systems and The Future of Warfare

Paddy Walker and Elke Schwarz discuss the operational and ethical implications of autonomous systems in warfare. Paddy and Elke highlight the gap between expectations and reality, arguing that while AI-enabled technologies are often marketed as revolutionary, their real-world effectiveness remains uncertain due to data limitations, technical vulnerabilities and the challenges of human–machine integration. Dr Paddy Walker is an Associate Fellow at RUSI and a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham. His latest book, War Without Oversight, was published in January 2025. Professor Elke Schwarz is Professor of Political Theory at Queen Mary University of London and the author of Death Machines: The Ethics of Violent Technologies.