International Law and the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in Armed Conflict: Towards a Binding Treaty Framework

This dissertation theorises the legal regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in armed conflict, developing an original argument for a binding international treaty framework governing autonomous weapons systems, AI-assisted targeting decisions, and algorithmic warfare, and assessing the implications for African states including Nigeria. The development of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and AI-assisted military decision-making raises profound questions under international humanitarian law including the principles of distinction, proportionality, precaution, and the Martens Clause, yet the international community has so far produced only non-binding guidance. Drawing on IHL theory, arms control law, philosophy of moral agency, and the emerging academic literature on LAWS governance, this research develops an original compliance-by-design regulatory framework that specifies the minimum legal content of a binding LAWS treaty and addresses accountability gaps arising from autonomous decision-making in warfare. It fills a critical gap in the IHL literature by providing the first comprehensive legally operational treaty proposal grounded in existing IHL principles rather than ethical preference. The dissertation empirically analyses the positions of major military powers, African Union member states, and Nigeria specifically in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons process, assessing political feasibility of treaty adoption. Original contributions include the compliance-by-design regulatory framework, a model treaty text on AI in armed conflict, and an African perspective on LAWS governance. Findings indicate that African states have a significant interest in binding LAWS regulation and should organise as a negotiating bloc. Keywords: autonomous weapons, IHL, artificial intelligence, treaty framework, armed conflict.