Can A Rule From 125 Years Ago Control An AI War?

The Martens Clause says that when written law runs out of steam, humanity still has obligations under the laws of humanity.

This episode asks whether that old idea from the 1899 Hague Peace Conference can help govern new technologies that move faster than law: AI, autonomous weapons, military AI, space mining, space governance, and the race to build beyond Earth.

The conversation moves from Nuremberg, the Corfu Channel, and Nicaragua to AI safety, black-box systems, tech accountability, and whether “not explicitly illegal” should ever mean “automatically allowed.”

Please enjoy the show. And keep the peace.

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Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, computing, science, and the systems shaping the future.

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(00:00) The First Peace Conference: A Historical Perspective

(07:37) The Martin's Clause: Implications for Modern Governance

(10:05) Space Tech and the Outer Space Treaty

(13:58) AI and the Need for Ethical Frameworks

(17:21) Accountability in Technology Deployment

(22:56) The Future of Humanity: Collaboration vs. Competition