Robots and refugees: the human rights impacts of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making in migration

Abstract

Border control authorities, vigilantes, and criminal organizations use drones to track movement across the US-Mexican border. EU member states’ military drones patrol the Mediterranean Sea for migrants alongside drones operated by humanitarian organizations. This chapter examines government use of drone technology within the broader context of drone use by non-state actors in order to fully explore the policy implications and political ramifications of drones along borders. After reviewing various perspectives on using drones for border control, the chapter describes growing use of drones along borders among the world’s states, examines the proliferation of an increasing variety of hobbyist and commercial drones, considers NGO policy positions on drones and increasing NGO use of hobbyist and commercial drones and explores emerging developments that may pose future challenges with major political and ethical implications.