The Iran war has ignited a fierce debate over deploying AI for combat operations
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, one of the reasons “the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have unfolded at unprecedented speed and precision” is “a cutting-edge weapon never before deployed on this scale: artificial intelligence.” Yes, the growing use of AI in modern warfare has coincided with its approved use in modern life.
Although the international community started noticing AI and its influence on modern warfare back in 2012, the ongoing Iran war is being referred to as ‘the first AI war’ by many, primarily because it is rewriting the rules of modern warfare and showcasing the benefits and drawbacks of AI in war. AI is being employed to accelerate decision-making, alter the ‘military economics’ and create new targets such as data centres.
It also raises serious ethical questions. The Iran war is ushering in an era of AI-powered bombing that will be quicker than the speed of thought.
The future of AI in warfare has been studied for some time. Although talk of military AI can conjure images of killer robots, the reality is that its biggest uses now are often off the battlefield, in time-consuming and labour-intensive fields like intelligence, mission planning and logistics, at speeds previously unimaginable.
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