State dossier
United Kingdom
GBR · UNITED KINGDOM · on the world map
What does it want?
Position: wants new rules, not a treaty (REG-SOFT). Supports new international rules that are not legally binding.
Wants new rules, not a treaty (REG-SOFT), since 2022-06-14, stated directly (EXPLICIT)
The UK's published policy "Ambitious, Safe, Responsible" (2022) says the UK does not have and will not build fully autonomous weapons, and opposes any system without meaningful human involvement. But it pursues non-binding rules rather than a treaty: the UK signed the US Political Declaration and the REAIM pledges, voted Yes on all three UN resolutions, and did not join the September 2025 statement in which France and Germany said they were ready to negotiate a treaty. The position has held across a change of government, and the "no intention" wording goes 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
The UK holds that the CCW is the best forum for further discussion of LAWS.
we continue to believe the CCW remains the best forum to advance any further discussion
Working paper submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (CCW/MSP/2025/WP.7), 2025-11-21 source
The UK calls the CCW the right forum for the LAWS work.
The CCW is the right forum for this work.
Opening UK Statement, LAWS GGE, 31 August 2026, 2026-08-31 source
Shown large among its peers · hover a mark for its position
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?
Being on a list is a fact. Not being on one is not opposition.
Hover a column heading to light its signings · click a seal to open the document
When has it spoken?
Every time it went on the record, dated.
Hover a mark for what it was · a legend chip lights that type
What rules has it written at home?
Its own military policy.
- 2022-06-14 · Ambitious, Safe, Responsible: our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defencecore policy, filled marker · source · archived
Ambitious, Safe, Responsible: our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defence
The UK's stated position on autonomous weapons and its ethical principles for military AI, published June 2022. This is the closest UK equivalent to the US directive. It is both the UK's military policy and the published position paper behind the reading above. It survived the 2024 change of government; the new government's own implementation documents build on it.
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