The West Point manual

Artificial Intelligence

      Recognizing that artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly found its way onto modern battlefields, the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare has launched a comprehensive research project aimed at providing a clear understanding of how international law applies to AI and AI-enabled military operations today. The culmination of the project, led by Professors Michael Schmitt and Sean Watts, will be the publication of The West Point Manual on the International Law Applicable to Artificial Intelligence in Warfare. As States continue to integrate AI into their military strategies, the West Point Manual will provide commanders, legal advisors, and other relevant stakeholders with a reliable practitioners’ guide informed by real-world military legal experience to help them navigate the complex legal frameworks governing the development, fielding, and use of the technology on the battlefield. Currently projected to extend into 2027, the project will involve collaboration with global experts and consultations with State representatives to ensure the West Point Manual’s relevance and utility to its intended end users.

News and Events:

    • Drafting began on January 15, 2025, with an inaugural meeting between the directors and drafters.
    • Over January 23–25, 2025, the Stockton Center for International Law, one of our partner institutions, hosted a workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark focusing on the international legal issues pertaining to AI-enabled military operations within the maritime domain.

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