Article by Nicola Jones: “The escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has thrown a spotlight on the use of artificial intelligence in warfare. Just one day before the US–Israeli offensive began on 28 February, the US government sidelined one of its main AI suppliers as part of a disagreement that underlines ethical concerns about AI’s use.
And this week, academics and legal experts are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss lethal autonomous weapons systems and the procurement of AI in the military, as part of long-running efforts to arrive at an international agreement on the ethical or legal uses of AI in warfare.
Rapid technological development is outpacing slow international discussions, says political scientist Michael Horowitz at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
“The current failure to regulate AI warfare, or to pause its usage until there is some agreement on lawful usage, seems to suggest potential proliferation of AI warfare is imminent,” says Craig Jones, a political geographer at Newcastle University, UK, who researches military targeting….
The US military uses AI based on large language models (LLMs) for logistical and office support, intelligence gathering and analysis, and decision support on the battlefield, says Horowitz. The Maven Smart System, which uses AI for applications including image processing and tactical support, speeds up attack capabilities by suggesting and prioritizing targets, for example. The system has been used in previous conflicts and in the attacks on Iran, according to reports from the Washington Post and other news outlets. “The details are not publicly known,” Horowitz says…(More)”.
