Wrestling with Killer Robots | 2021 | Publications

Wrestling with Killer Robots: The Benefits and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence for National Security

Countries around the world are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for national security tasks ranging from intelligence analysis to identifying and attacking targets without human input. This proliferation of AI-enabled military technologies has significant implications for international security. Supplementing or replacing humans with algorithms and machines has the potential to change the character of warfare, but it also raises vexing strategic, ethical, and legal questions. How might states use AI on the battlefield? What are the ethical objectives to its use? What happens when things go awry? This case study provides a background on the use of AI for national security, introduces key debates surrounding the use of these technologies, and presents a scenario-based exercise that allows students to engage with the complicated ethical and political questions that policymakers will increasingly confront as AI-enabled systems become more common on the modern battlefield.