Can a machine decide who lives and who dies in a war? Former CIA Director General David Petraeus answered this question at the NDTV World Summit , where he spoke about the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare.
He explained that before attacking a target, certain conditions must be set. These include having a high level of certainty that the target is correct and that civilians will not be harmed. They are very specific. He added that machines may even be better than humans at some specific tasks. However, the former CIA chief stressed that human judgment cannot be taken out of warfare, even as machines become more involved in military decisions. “You can never take human judgment out of this. Petraeus also pointed out that training machines to make the right decisions during a war would become increasingly difficult. “At some point we can have multiple agents working for us, so as a commander, let’s say, these would be staff officers now who never sleep, never eat and never have to take a break. He added that these AI systems would do much more than just collect information, prepare reports and monitor developments. Information collected through radars, sound sensors and other equipment could be brought together with the help of AI.
They have a certain certainty associated, 95 per cent certain, no civilians, and you trust people to carry it out.
Petraeus said machines could sometimes make targeting decisions better than humans, but only if they are properly programmed and follow strict rules of engagement. He said, “You have a target, you establish criteria that have to be followed. READ | ‘Human Pulled The Trigger, Machine Helped’: Ex-CIA Chief On Iran School Bombing Petraeus said that if humans can be trusted to follow these rules, machines could also be trusted to carry out certain tasks. “There are many aspects where they may be better at some other certification task than human,” he said. That is what we still need to provide,” he said. He said it would be important to ensure that these systems understand and follow the rules of engagement. READ | Ex-CIA Director To Decode ‘War In Times Of AI’ At NDTV World Summit Earlier, Petraeus said artificial intelligence (AI) could completely change the way wars are fought, with machines eventually taking on tasks that are currently handled by military officers and soldiers. They are Nobel laureates in terms of brainpower,” he said. Petraeus also said AI could also help military forces detect incoming aircraft, drones and missiles.
