According to the Task Force A.I, “French army can’t step aside from these innovations, with the risk of missing this major technological breakthrough and losing its operational superiority”.
Several questions appear to our mind: are we witnesses of new warfare practices? What are the issues facing the use of autonomous military systems?
In March 2023, an article from the The Defense Post revealed the contract agreed between the Swedish company INVISIO and a non-NATO European army. This contract, which was meant to remain secret, includes the delivery of hearing protection and communication systems, all based on artificial intelligence.
The fact is we are living in a world of “permacrisis” – permanent crisis – facing that observation, in addition to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Europe recognizes the necessity to renew its security policy. This renewal includes the question on whether or not using artificial intelligence on the battlefield. Basically, in the military domain, artificial intelligence is used in decision-making, especially during emergencies, identify unstable situations, upgrade simulation exercises, or even organize troop’s logistics on the field. Therefore, the possibility of the artificial intelligence in the army are multiple and complex.
Since 2018, the United States gradually increased its military budget on artificial intelligence. They coordinated their actions through the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, which is now integrated into the Office of the Chief Digital and AI Officer, established by the Pentagon and its Department of Defense. China is another key figure in artificial intelligence. Their aim is to integrate this new technology within the People’s Liberation Army – the Chinese army – through an ambitious innovation strategy, the Strategic Support Force. It consists in taking advantage of civil engineering to the military branch. Then, if Europe intends to preserve its part within the global security, concrete measures must be taken, in order to take the artificial intelligence path, and don’t miss this turning point.
Nevertheless, in the context of emergence of a new type of warfare, that we might qualified as assisted, the ethical question raises.
International policies debates concerning the military enforcement of AI are mainly focused on autonomous weapons systems. The latter work by selecting targets and using force on them without any human intervention. Even more advanced, an autonomous weapon system would release by itself an attack according to the information gathered by its captors. So, we easily understand why these systems preoccupates the International Committee of the Red Cross who recommends to the States to restrain their use with new judicial laws.
The main challenge which causes these autonomous weapon systems is the respect of international law and more precisely humanitarian international law because the lack of human judgement is the very definition of the autonomous weapon system. Indeed, within humanitarian international law, the golden rule is the distinction between the civilian and the military. Yet, how can a weapon’s trigger user distinguish if the shape which started the attack is a military vehicle or a civilian one? In that case, if a civilian vehicle is touched, there is violation of humanitarian international law, and the consequences can be serious for the army in charge of the mission.
In other words, autonomous weapons cause humanitarian risks, judicial challenges and question the war ethic because they make room for very little anticipation and that it’s then difficult to limit the effects. Humans have this moral quality which lead their decisions and their actions, something that the AI doesn’t have or just a little, that is why we are talking about dehumanization. The AI ethic is more than ever criticized, considered as a lack of humanity, a non-respect of human values.
By Alex Chaumartin and Nina Thevenet
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