Meaningful Human Command: Towards a New Model for Military Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract

Military human robot interaction (MHRI) presents a novel opportunity to blend the capabilities of autonomous and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled systems with the skills and expertise of humans. The concept promises military advantages and greater operational effectiveness and efficiencies. However, the associated human-AI dynamics create challenges when attempting to design, implement, and operationalise the increasingly symbiotic relationship between humans and machines. Meaningful human control (MHC) is a popularised conceptualisation of what is deemed a responsible interaction among human and artificial agents; however, this notion falls short in military contexts and hinders the realisation of military advantages that could be achieved by advancing the adoption of responsible AI. This paper presents meaningful human command (MHC1) as a more operationally effective concept for advanced military command and control systems that embed AI-enabled autonomous systems. We introduce, explore, and unpack meaningful human command in the context of military human-robot interaction, presenting a vignette that offers a technologically feasible concept of an AI-enabled system within military operations. The vignette is used to guide, contextualise, and add realism to the narrative describing the concept and highlights associated MHRI challenges.