Is existing law adequate to govern autonomous weapon systems

The United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on lethal autonomous weapon systems has emphasised that all weapon systems must be developed and used in compliance with international law. However, the fundamental question is whether existing international law is adequate to govern autonomy in weapon systems. The position in this paper is that in as far as the governance of autonomy in weapon systemsis concerned, there is a lacuna or gap in existing international law. The challenges that are raised by autonomous weapon systems go beyond questions of compatibility with existing international law to include critical questions relating to ethics, morality and fundamental values that are critical to humanity