Autonomous Weapons and Deterrence

Analyze how autonomous weapons and AI-enabled defense systems influence strategic stability, escalation risk, decision-making, and international norms. Compare governance approaches (transparency rules, export controls, codes of conduct), discuss safe fail-safe design and verification, and propose a multi-layer framework for restraint, verification, and accountability that can help prevent miscalculation while enabling legitimate defense research. Include scenario-based evaluation templates and policy recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and industry.