NATO strategy in the field of artificial intelligence: formation and development of conceptual international legal principles (2021–2024)

The article is devoted to the issue of forming modern conceptual international legal principles of NATO’s strategy in the field of artificial intelligence in the period 2021-2024. The author notes that a wide range of problems and prospects for the use of artificial intelligence for modern military and defense purposes has received considerable attention. Modern international law is faced with challenges arising from the use of artificial intelligence technologies, which can threaten international peace and international security. In this regard, the conceptual foundations of the future international legal regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in the field of defense and security, proposed by NATO, become relevant and worthy of consideration. The purpose of the article is to determine the conceptual principles of the international legal regulation of the use of artificial intelligence technologies within the framework of NATO. Having considered the development of the conceptual principles of international legal regulation of the use of artificial intelligence technologies in such a programmatic act as the NATO Strategy on Artificial Intelligence (The NATO Artificial Intelligence Strategy), the author notes that the NATO Strategy (in the 2021, 2024 editions) acts as an act of soft law and, mainly, provides a vision of the joint strategic use of military artificial intelligence by NATO member states. In particular, the Strategy conceptually defines the goals, objectives, desired results of application and issues of its responsible use, minimizing hostile interference and protecting artificial intelligence from hostile use; defines the issue of partnership. The author emphasizes that among other promising topics of the organization, the issue of the use of artificial intelligence technologies for military purposes is considered within NATO as one of the most advanced. The Strategy took into account the results of the Summit “Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Sphere” (REAIM 2023) and in some way influenced the results of the Summit “Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Sphere” (REAIM 2024). The NATO Strategy, as a programmatic act, laid the foundations for a common vision of the application of artificial intelligence in the field of defense and security, thereby contributing to the development of standards for the “responsible application” of artificial intelligence technologies in accordance with the principles and norms of international law and NATO values.