OxTalks is Changing
OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
Algorithmic Warfare: Artificial Intelligence and the Ethics of Target Selection
Join us for a panel discussion exploring the revolution in artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems in national security. Panelists will explore how frontier and other advanced AI models are reshaping autonomous targeting while examining their technical, strategic, and legal-ethical dynamics. Panelists will discuss the advantages and risks of AI-driven speed and deception, the challenges of maintaining accountability and control, and the evolving frameworks of proportionality, distinction, and human oversight that will define the future conduct and governance of conflict.
Recent controversies—such as reports of algorithmic targeting tools like Gospel and Lavender used in Gaza, and ongoing UN negotiations over “meaningful human control” in lethal autonomous weapons—have thrust these questions into the global spotlight. Bringing together experts in ethics, law, technology, and defense policy, this panel explores how states and societies can reconcile the pursuit of operational precision with the enduring moral and legal imperatives of warfare in the AI age.
Date:
27 October 2025, 17:30
Venue:
Venue to be announced
Speakers:
Tsvetelina van Benthem (Blavatnik School of Government),
Broderick McDonald (Alan Turing Institute Visiting Fellow),
Adam McCauley (Journalist, Academic, & Senior Policy Advisor Government of Canada)
Organising department:
Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR)
Organiser:
Zachary Turinsky (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
zachary.turinsky@seh.ox.ac.uk
Part of:
Oxford Emerging Threats & Technology Working Group
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://emergingthreats.co.uk/event/week-2-algorithmic-crosshairs-artificial-intelligence-and-the-ethics-of-target-selection/
Audience:
Oxford University Members and Wider Academic/Policy Community
Editor:
Zachary Turinsky
