Laura Bruun

Researcher

Laura Bruun

Laura Bruun is a Researcher in the SIPRI Governance of Artificial Intelligence Programme. Her focus is on how emerging military technologies, notably autonomous weapon systems (AWS) and military Artificial Intelligence (AI), affect compliance with—and interpretation of—international humanitarian law (IHL).

Laura has a background in Middle Eastern Studies (University of Copenhagen) and International Security and Law (University of Southern Denmark).

Before joining SIPRI, Laura worked at Airwars in London, where she monitored and assessed civilian casualty reports from US and Russian airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. Laura has previously lived in both Egypt and Jordan, working with human rights issues in the MENA-region.

Subject expertise

International Humanitarian Law, autonomous weapon systems, military AI, remote warfare, gender and disarmament, and international security

Regional expertise

Global

CONTACT Laura Bruun

Languages

Danish, English, Arabic

Education

BA Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Copenhagen; MA International Security and Law, University of Southern Denmark

SIPRI AND PARTNER PUBLICATIONS

Bruun, L., Towards a Two-tiered Approach to Regulation of Autonomous Weapon Systems: Identifying Pathways and Possible Elements (SIPRI, Stockholm: August 2024)
Blanchard, A. and Bruun, L., Bias in Military Artificial Intelligence (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2024)
Raju, N. and Bruun, L., Integrating Gender Perspectives into International Humanitarian Law (SIPRI, Stockholm : August 2023)
Bruun, L., Bo, M. and Goussac, N., Compliance with International Humanitarian Law in the Development and Use of Autonomous Weapon Systems: What does IHL Permit, Prohibit and Require? (SIPRI, Stockholm : March 2023)
Bo, M., Bruun, L. and Boulanin, V., Retaining Human Responsibility in the Development and Use of Autonomous Weapon Systems: On Accountability for Violations of International Humanitarian Law Involving AWS (SIPRI, Stockholm: October 2022)
Autonomous Weapon Systems and International Humanitarian Law: Identifying Limits and the Required Type and Degree of Human–Machine Interaction (SIPRI, Stockholm: June 2021)
Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence: Can the European Union Lead the Way in Developing Best Practice? (SIPRI, Stockholm: November 2020)

13. Conventional arms control and regulation of new weapon technologies (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2022)
13. Conventional arms control and regulation of new weapon technologies (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2021)

External publications

Bruun, L., ‘Reinventing the wheel? Three lessons that the AWS debate can learn from existing arms control agreements’, blog post, Humanitarian Law and Policy, ICRC (Jun 2024)
Bruun, L., ’’It was an Accident’: Implications of AI on the Ability to Distinguish Between ‘True’ Accidents and Violations of International Humanitarian Law’, ORF-Global Policy journal (Feb 2024)
Bruun, L., 'Investigating (Mis)conduct in War is Already Difficult: Will the use of Military AI Make it Harder?', Just Security (Jan 2023)
Bruun, L., ’Lethal autonomous weapon systems: understanding the human role throughout the weapon lifecycle’, Wilton Park (March 2022)
Bruun, L., 'Autonomous weapon systems: what the law says - and does not say - about the human role in the use of force’, blog post, Humanitarian Law and Policy, ICRC (Nov 2021)