Michael C. Horowitz on Ban autonomous lethal weapons

Michael C. Horowitz

Political scientist; former DoD official

Advocates of a ban on autonomous weapons often claim that the technology today isn’t good enough to discriminate reliably between civilian and military targets, and therefore can’t comply with the laws of war. In some situations, that’s true. For others, it’s less clear. Over 30 countries already have automated defensive systems to shoot down rockets and missiles. They are supervised by humans but, once activated, select and engage targets without further human input. These systems work quite effectively and have been used without controversy for decades. Autonomous weapons should not be banned based on the state of the technology today, but governments must start working now to ensure that militaries use autonomous technology in a safe and responsible manner that retains human judgment and accountability in the use of force.

AI Verified source (2015)

11mo ago

Policy proposals and claims

Ban autonomous lethal weapons

votes Against

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AI Verified The quote directly discusses whether autonomous weapons should be banned and explicitly argues they "should not be banned," which is a clear position on the full policy statement. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4mo ago

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AI Verified The quote explicitly says, "Autonomous weapons should not be banned based on the state of the technology today," while calling for safe, responsible use instead. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4mo ago

Quote authenticity verification history

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AI Verified The source URL’s FPRI page, The Morality of Robotic War, dated May 29, 2015, contains the quoted passage verbatim at lines 95–97 and credits the piece to Michael Horowitz. FPRI’s author page lists the same article under Michael Horowitz, and Penn sources identify that scholar as Michael C. Horowitz, so the attribution is consistent. ([fpri.org](https://www.fpri.org/article/2015/05/the-morality-of-robotic-war/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4mo ago

AI Verified Quote text confirmed accurate via web search (FPRI URL returned 403, but search results from multiple sources reproduced the key text verbatim, including 'Advocates of a ban on autonomous weapons often claim the technology today isn't good enough to discriminate reliably between civilian and military targets...' and 'Autonomous weapons should not be banned based on the state of the technology today, but governments must start working now...'). Author Michael C. Horowitz's position against a preemptive ban on autonomous weapons is well-established in his published work (e.g., Daedalus 2016 essay, CIGI No. 345 Feb 2026). The 'against' vote on 'Ban autonomous lethal weapons' correctly aligns with the quote's clear opposition to a ban. Year is 2015; attempted to locate more recent quotes (CIGI 2026 paper exists) but PDF and publisher pages return 403, so retaining original. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-7 · 5mo ago

replying to Michael C. Horowitz

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Michael C. Horowitz votes For

Nations should establish binding international rules for AI safety and governance

Possible options include establishing an agreement to regulate autonomous systems, mandating human control over nuclear weapons and creating a UN-based institution to oversee responsible military applications of AI.

AI Verified source (Feb 19, 2026)