Frequently asked questions: AI and cyber operations in armed conflict
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into cyber capabilities and operations. This has the potential to increase the scale, speed and impact of cyber operations, including their consequences for civilians and civilian infrastructure during armed conflict.
Frequently asked questions
-
“Cyber operations” are operations against a computer, a system/network or another connected device, through a data stream, when used as means or methods of warfare. In short, using a computer to damage another computer system, network or data.
-
Cyber operations may disrupt, disable or physically damage civilian services, infrastructure and data. They risk resulting in injury or death of people, for instance in hospitals when medical devices are disabled, data is deleted or electricity is cut through cyber operations.
IHL imposes limits on cyber operations during armed conflicts. ICRC works bilaterally and multilaterally with states and hacker groups to ensure that existing IHL rules are interpreted and applied in a manner that ensures adequate protection for civilians and civilian infrastructure and data, including medical facilities and humanitarian organizations.
However, if existing rules of IHL are interpreted in ways that undermine the protective function of IHL in the ICT environment, additional rules would need to be developed to strengthen the existing legal framework.
