At CyCon 2026, discussions on AI and armed conflict brought together leading experts to examine one of the most pressing challenges facing international law: how to ensure that existing legal rules remain effective as AI becomes increasingly integrated into military operations. The discussions considered AI’s role in targeting, cyber operations, information warfare and military decision-making, with particular attention to the practical application of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Contributors explored the safeguards required throughout the lifecycle of military AI-systems. Their discussions ranged from legal reviews, procurement and cooperation with private technology companies to AI-enabled deception and the risks created when civilian and military uses of AI can no longer be clearly separated. Together, they highlighted that the legal questions surrounding military AI extend well beyond decisions made on the battlefield. Choices made during design, development, testing and acquisition may ultimately determine whether an AI-enabled capability can be used consistently with IHL.
The discussions also offered a preview of the forthcoming CCDCOE publication International Law and Artificial Intelligence in Armed Conflict: The AI–Cyber Interplay. Published by Oxford University Press, the volume examines how AI is changing warfare and the conditions under which international law must be interpreted and applied.
Extending the conversation beyond the conference, contributors to the volume share their insights in a special Opinio Juris symposium. The series examines military AI from four complementary perspectives, addressing lifecycle governance, Common Article 1, the importance and limitations of legal reviews, AI-induced “fog of war”, and the need for more integrated approaches to civilian and military AI governance.
Special thanks to Dr Jessica Dorsey and the whole Opinio Juris team for its support in bringing the symposium together.
The articles are available at Opinio Juris website:
- Kubo Mačák, Nick Wobma, Maria Tolppa – Symposium on Cyber, International Law and Artificial Intelligence in Armed Conflict: Introduction
- Marco Roscini – Symposium on Cyber, International Law and Artificial Intelligence in Armed Conflict: Military AI and Common Article 1 – From Accountability to Governance
- Netta Goussac and Rain Liivoja – Symposium on Cyber, International Law and Artificial Intelligence in Armed Conflict: Legal Reviews of Military AI – Essential but Insufficient
- Gary Corn – Symposium on Cyber, International Law and Artificial Intelligence in Armed Conflict: Law of Armed Conflict Implications of AI-Induced Fog of War
- Jimena Sofía Viveros Álvarez – Symposium on Cyber, International Law and Artificial Intelligence in Armed Conflict: Piercing the Veil – Why Siloed AI Governance Is Untenable