State dossier
United Kingdom
GBR · UNITED KINGDOM · board row present
What does this state want?
Coded REG-SOFT: Supports new non-binding measures.
REG-SOFT since 2022-06-14, EXPLICIT
Supports new non-binding measures.
The UK's published position ("Ambitious, Safe, Responsible", 2022) renounces fully autonomous weapon systems and opposes systems operating without meaningful, context-appropriate human involvement, while pursuing responsible-use measures rather than a new binding instrument: the UK endorses the US Political Declaration and the REAIM instruments, votes yes on the UNGA resolutions, and is absent from the September 2025 ready-to-negotiate statement that France and Germany joined. The position has been stable across a change of government; the "no intention" formulation runs back to 2013.
The UK renounces possession and development of fully autonomous weapon systems.
the United Kingdom does not possess fully autonomous weapon systems and has no intention of developing them
Ambitious, Safe, Responsible: our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defence, 2022-06-14 source
The UK opposes systems operating without meaningful human involvement across their lifecycle.
the creation and use of systems that would operate without meaningful and context-appropriate human involvement throughout their lifecycle
Ambitious, Safe, Responsible: our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defence, 2022-06-14 source
This state shown large among peers · hover a mark for its coding
How did it vote?
Yes on all three UN votes on autonomous weapons.
Hover a legend chip to light those votes · each resolution links to its record
What has it signed?
Membership is fact, not opposition.
Hover a track header to light its signings · click a seal to open the document
When is it on the record?
The engagement cadence, dated.
Hover a mark for its act · a legend chip lights that type
What has it written down at home?
National doctrine.
- 2022-06-14 · Ambitious, Safe, Responsible: our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defencecore doctrine, filled marker · source
Ambitious, Safe, Responsible: our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defence
Contains the UK's stated position on autonomous weapons and its AI Ethical Principles; the closest UK analogue to a 3000.09-class statement. Analyst ruling 2026-07-17: ASR is core doctrine, and the same document also grounds the REG-SOFT coding as the UK's published position paper (recorded in both roles). Published June 2022; the framework survived the 2024 change of government (JSP 936 and the 2025 RAISO implementation report arrived under the new government).
The policy paper states the UK position on autonomy in weapon systems.
the United Kingdom does not possess fully autonomous weapon systems and has no intention of developing them
Ambitious, Safe, Responsible: our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defence, 2022-06-14 source
The record
The documents on file.
Each mark opens its source