Artificial intelligence and the military

Terry Benzschawel

Given the critical role of the military in ensuring personal safety and the potentially devastating consequences from mistakes alluded to in Section 17.5, this chapter is devoted entirely to artificial intelligence (AI) and the military. The discussion begins with issues related to the role of AI in nuclear weapons technology. It is generally believed that AI is a destabilising force in the nuclear geopolitical balance. For example, AI has shortened the reaction time to an impending nuclear attack, enabling new delivery technologies and making mobile missile launchers vulnerable to pre-emptive disabling. New technologies enabling stealth (ie, undetectable) missiles have also been emerging.

Non-nuclear military applications of AI are also presented in this chapter, together with a description of efforts by the US to form an international consensus regarding the responsible use of AI technology.

18.1 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE DESTABILISATION OF NUCLEAR EQUILIBRIUM

Nuclear weapons and AI are two technologies that have scared people for a long time. At the time of writing, advances in AI in military technology have threatened the delicate checks and balances that have forestalled

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