The digital transformation has been a key vector of progress for the humanitarian sector. It is also a source of additional pressure on principled humanitarian action, triggering dilemmas and risks that tend to be understated or overlooked.

In this post, ICRC Senior Policy Adviser Pierrick Devidal reflects on some of the challenges and opportunities that digitalization creates for humanitarian organizations’ ability to operate in line with the fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

Read the full blog piece here: https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2023/02/02/back-to-basics-digital-twist-humanitarian-principles/

‘Back to basics’ with a digital twist: humanitarian principles and dilemmas in the digital age

States have agreed on the principle that machines cannot be held accountable for violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), but how would accountability be ensured in practice? 

In this post, Vincent Boulanin and Marta Bo from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) argue that looking at how responsibility for IHL violations is currently ascribed under international law provides useful lessons for the regulation of AWS.

Read the full blog post here: https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2023/03/02/three-lessons-autonomous-weapons-systems-ihl/

3 lessons on the regulation of AWS to ensure accountability for violations of IHL

Cyber operations have become a reality of today’s armed conflicts, and their use is likely to continue to grow in the future. In light of this trend, the ICRC has long maintained that international humanitarian law (IHL) governs – and limits – any use of cyber operations during armed conflicts. But what does that really mean in practice?

In this post, ICRC legal advisers Kubo Mačák and Tilman Rodenhäuser provide concise explanations of when and how IHL – and especially its principles of humanity, necessity, distinction, and proportionality – apply to the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) by States. With this post, they launch the ICRC’s new series of short papers on cyber operations during armed conflict.

Read the full blog post here: https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2023/03/07/towards-common-understandings-the-application-of-established-ihl-principles-to-cyber-operations/

Towards common understandings: the application of established IHL principles to cyber operations

In situations of armed conflict, access to digital technology can save lives. But the use of cyber, information, and other digital operations by belligerents during armed conflict also brings new threats and risks for civilians. Think about cyber operations disrupting civilian infrastructure and services, information operations inciting violence against civilian populations, and digital operations undermining humanitarian relief efforts. In ever-more interdependent digital and physical environments, civilians and civilian infrastructure are increasingly drawn upon to support military operations and, as a result, face real risks of being targeted. As digital technologies permeate our lives and societies, cyber and information operations are no longer abstract or “only online”. They can, directly or indirectly, have serious online and ‘offline’ consequences and harm people.

Between 2021 and 2023, the International Committee of the Red Cross’ (ICRC) President convened a Global Advisory Board of high-level experts from the legal, military, policy, technological, and security fields to advise the organization on digital threats and to develop concrete recommendations to protect civilians against such threats. Today, this Board released its report entitled ‘Protecting Civilians against Digital Threats During Armed Conflict’. In this post, Cordula Droege (chief legal officer and head of the legal division of the ICRC), Laurent Gisel (Head of the Arms and Conduct of Hostilities Unit of the ICRC), Tilman Rodenhäuser (Legal Adviser at the ICRC) and Joelle Rizk (Digital Risks Adviser at the ICRC) present four worrying trends the Board identified, and examples of the Board’s recommendations to address one of them, namely the growing civilian involvement in digital military operations.

Read the full blog post here: https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/

Protecting civilians against digital threats: 4 worrying trends and recommendations to address them

The desire to develop technological solutions to help militaries in their decision-making processes is not new. However, more recently, we have witnessed militaries incorporating increasingly complex forms of artificial intelligence-based decision support systems (AI DSS) in their decision-making process, including decisions on the use of force. The novelty of this development is that the process by which these AI DSS function challenges the human’s ability to exercise judgement in military decision-making processes. This potential erosion of human judgement raises several legal, humanitarian and ethical challenges and risks, especially in relation to military decisions that have a significant impact on people’s lives, their dignity, and their communities. It is in light of this development that we must urgently and in earnest discuss how these systems are used and their impact on people affected by armed conflict.

With this post, Wen Zhou, Legal Adviser with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Anna Rosalie Greipl, Researcher at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, launch a new series on artificial intelligence (AI) in military decision-making. To start the discussion, they outline some of the challenges and risks, as well as the potential, that pertain to the use of AI DSS in preserving human judgement in legal determinations on the use of force. They also propose some measures and constraints regarding the design and use of AI DSS in these decision-making processes that can inform current and future debates on military AI governance, in order to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) and support mitigating the risk of harm to people affected by those decisions.

Artificial intelligence in military decision-making: supporting humans, not replacing them

Please join me in warmly welcoming Prof. Alberto Galasso to our podcast.

Prof. Alberto Galasso is a Professor of Strategic Management at Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and holds the Anthony S. Fell Chair in New Technologies and Commercialization. 

A Research Associate at National Bureau of Economic Research and Research Fellow at The Centre for Economic Policy Research, his work focuses on innovation, technology management, and market dynamics. He also serves on editorial boards of leading journals, including the Strategic Management Journal and Journal of Economics and Management Strategy.

Prof. Galasso earned his PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In this episode, Prof. Alberto Galasso shares profound insights from his latest book, The Management of Innovation: Managing and Creating Technology Capital.

The Management of Innovation highlights the critical role of innovation in driving growth while addressing the gap in strategic tools for managing and creating new technologies. Drawing on two decades of research, Prof. Alberto Galasso provides an accessible overview of innovation literature, focusing on technology management and creation. The book explores key trade-offs, resource allocation decisions, and the role of intellectual property, offering MBA students and managers practical insights to enhance innovation strategies and decision-making.

This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com.

Disclaimer:

A. The background music used in this video is the property of its respective developer and is protected by Copyright. Although it is a free version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy and Deepak Bhatt do not hold the rights to this music.

B. Prof. Alberto Galasso has granted permission to share insights from his book, “The Management of Innovation: Managing and Creating Technology Capital,” on Business Talk Podcast Channel. The uploaded video contains copyrighted material; therefore, any modifications to graphics, music, or the presence of the author or host are strictly prohibited.

Innovation Unleashed: Prof. Alberto Galasso on Managing and Creating Technology Capital

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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Humanitarian Law & Policy blog is a unique space for timely analysis and debate on international humanitarian law (IHL) issues and the policies that shape humanitarian action.

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