The AI revolution is here, and it’s changing the world as we know it. Specifically, the world of war. It recently emerged that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are actively using an AI system named ‘Habsora’ to identify targets in their conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Commenting on the situation in Gaza and the broader realm of warfare, political sociologist Bianca Baggiarini warned that military forces already employ remote and autonomous systems as “force multipliers” to amplify the effectiveness of their troops and safeguard their soldiers.
AI systems, she added, have the potential to enhance soldiers’ efficiency and accelerate the pace and lethality of warfare. Although human presence on the battlefield will diminish as AI’s shadow grows, she fears that the technology will contribute to the dehumanization of adversaries and further disconnect wars from the societies on whose behalf they are fought.
AI warfare of tomorrow could look more like a hyper-realistic computer game. However, unlike a computer game, real people will lose their lives.
AI’s influence, according to Baggiarini, already permeates virtually every aspect of warfare, from providing support in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, to the development of “lethal autonomous weapons systems” capable of independently selecting and engaging targets without any human intervention whatsoever.
Joseph Dana, another political expert well-versed in AI agrees with Baggiarini. AI systems, he says, already decide who lives and who dies.
It’s important to remember that we are still in the age of weak AI, otherwise known as narrow AI. Strong AI, or artificial general intelligence (AGI) is not here yet —- but it’s on its way, according to a number of renowned experts.
In fact, it could be here by the end of the decade. Weak AI refers to systems designed for very specific tasks. Strong AI, on the other hand, can complete a variety of tasks, many times faster than the vast majority of humans.
Michael Raska, an expert in the area of AI-driven warfare, told the Daily Express US that the ways in which artificial intelligence is shaping combat are numerous.
“Different militaries are responding differently to the same technological breakthroughs, such as the convergence between AI systems, cyber, and robotics,” he noted. Hence, there are now multiple AI trajectories taking shape.
The trajectories, according to Raska, “depend on the conceptual vision, organizational agility, and technological innovation levels” of different nations. “Not all militaries have the same AI vision, resources, and ability to scale-up from AI experimentation, so the impact on warfare varies,” he added.
