AutoPractices
AutoPractices: Governing AI Technologies in Military Systems from the Bottom Up
From 1 June 2024 to 31 December 2025, the AutoNorms team conducted a policy-related project called AutoPractices. The purpose of the AutoPractices project was to initiate and accompany a process of social innovation to govern the development and use of AI technologies in the military domain from the bottom up.
As a result, the AutoPractices project team, together with 49 stakeholders, co-created a set of best practices in the form of a practical toolkit to sustain and strengthen human agency in the development and use of AI technologies, across all stages of the lifecycle of AI systems. The process of co-creation involved the participation of stakeholders representing diverse disciplines and all regions of the world. The stakeholders co-created the toolkit based on their experiences and fields of expertise.
AutoPractices is a Proof of Concept (PoC) project funded by the European Research Council based upon the AutoNorms project. For AutoPractices, the AutoNorms team collaborated with Dr Alexander Blanchard at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Shimona Mohan (in her personal capacity), and Ariel Conn (in her personal capacity).
Output 1: Map of Practices
On 4 September 2025, the AutoPractices project published its first output: the map of practices identified by stakeholders as contributing to strengthening the exercise of human agency in the use of military systems integrating AI technologies.
This map is based on data from 1) an open-ended online survey questionnaire completed by AutoPractices stakeholders between October 2024 to March 2025 and 2) in-person and online interviews conducted with stakeholders.
The map of practices is meant as a transitional step towards the final toolkit of best practices.
Output 2: Best Practices Toolkit
On 12 January 2026, the AutoPractices project published its capstone output: the best practices toolkit for policymakers, developers, and users of AI systems in the military domain.
This toolkit includes best practices which contribute to sustaining and strengthening the exercise of human agency in the development and use of military systems integrating AI technologies. The best practices concern personnel at various levels of military command, as well as those involved in the development, design, engineering, analysis, and other human-led fields across the lifecycle of AI systems. This toolkit results from a co-creative process in which the 49 stakeholders involved played an active role from start to finish.
AutoPractices is part of AutoNorms and is funded by
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