Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) are rapidly developing and pose serious ethical, legal, and technological problems. This thesis examines how ethical decision-making frameworks can be integrated into AWS, or also Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS), that operate without real-time human intervention. Inspired by fundamental theories in machine ethics, international humanitarian law (IHL), and classical Moral philosophy, the paper assesses whether ethical behavior can be operationalized in machines and what consequences follow from assigning fatal decisions to non-sentient agents. The idea of “Meaningful Human Control” and the inherent responsibility gap in autonomous operations define the central focus of this research.

Through a design science research (DSR) approach, the thesis develops a conceptual decision-support Framework designed to guide policymakers, system architects, and military operators in the development of ethically aligned AWS systems. Although the study also critically considers their normative limits, even as it recognizes technical achievements, including ethical governors and annotated decision trees. Ultimately, the study incorporates the European Union’s AI Act to examine a broader governance framework and regulatory gaps.

The results underscore the urgent need for open, responsible, and ethically robust control systems to prevent a decline in humanitarian standards in autonomous warfare.