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AI Command of the military forces on the tablet computer

War is messy. AI can’t handle it.

As AI becomes part of military decision-making, it’s important to be wary of the pristine ideas of how technology can transform conflict.

From nuclear bombs to killer robots: how amoral technologies become immoral weapons

Powerful countries wield the rhetoric of imminent security threats to rationalize unjust uses of new military technologies.

The promise and peril of military applications of artificial intelligence

The promise of AI—including its ability to improve the speed and accuracy of everything from logistics and battlefield planning to human decision making—is driving militaries around the world to accelerate research and development. Here’s why.

Trump orders some sort of vague action in the AI arms race

Through an executive order, President Donald Trump launched the American AI Initiative, further underscoring the importance of a group of technologies that are reshaping everything from medical diagnoses to war-fighting. The administration didn’t give many specifics in the order published Monday evening or details about funding for its various elements such as efforts to increase … Continued

2024 Doomsday Clock Statement: Disruptive Technologies

A moment of historic danger: It is still 90 seconds to midnight 2024 Doomsday Clock Statement Science and Security Board Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Editor, John Mecklin January 23, 2024 In Depth: Disruptive Technologies PDF / print version AI and other disruptive technologies to watch The most significant development in the disruptive technology space … Continued
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Neuro, cyber, slaughter: Emerging technological threats in 2017

Looking back at our best coverage in 2017 of emerging technological threats. 
Green HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey"

Drink the Kool-Aid all you want, but don’t call AI an existential threat

Generative AI can wreak havoc in many ways but it’s not an existential threat any more than computer code is.
An An-2.

The next frontier in drone warfare? A Soviet-era crop duster

Azerbaijan showed during the battle for Nagorno-Karabakh that even an old Soviet-era crop duster could be repurposed and used effectively in drone warfare—another example of how militaries continue to find innovative ways to employ increasingly autonomous systems.   
DeepMind’s David Silver speaks to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists about games, beauty, and AI’s potential to avert human-made disasters. Photo provided by David Silver and used with permission.

DeepMind’s David Silver on games, beauty, and AI’s potential to avert human-made disasters

DeepMind’s David Silver is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society and recipient of the Mensa Foundation Prize for the best scientific discovery in the field of artificial intelligence. In this from-the-heart interview, I talk with Silver about games, the meaning of creativity, and AI’s potential to avert disasters such as climate change, human-made pathogens, mass poverty, and environmental catastrophe.

Military Applications of Artificial Intelligence

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), deep-learning, and robotics are enabling new military capabilities that will have a disruptive impact on military strategies. The effects of these capabilities will be felt across the spectrum of military requirements – from intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to offense/defense balances and even on to nuclear weapons systems themselves. In this … Continued

2018 Doomsday Clock Statement

  Overview Current Time FAQ Timeline Dashboard Multimedia Exhibit Full Statement It is now two minutes to midnight 2018 Doomsday Clock Statement Science and Security Board Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Editor, John Mecklin Statement from the President and CEO The year just past proved perilous and chaotic, a year in which many of the … Continued
AI back to back heads

Convergence: Artificial intelligence and the new and old weapons of mass destruction

Artificial intelligence is capable of amplifying the risks of other technologies, and demands a reevaluation of the standard policy approach.
An autonomous ship.

How Joe Biden can use confidence-building measures for military uses of AI

The Biden administration has an opportunity to foster international cooperation on military AI to reduce the risk of inadvertent conflict while still pursuing US military leadership in AI.
How emerging technology is shaping the future of intelligence.

Why superintelligence is a threat that should be taken seriously

A prominent skeptic says that artificial intelligence is nothing to worry about. Here’s why he’s wrong.

JAIC: Pentagon debuts artificial intelligence hub

The Defense Department is initiating a whole new approach to artificial intelligence, and maybe even to technology development and procurement. But in the long run, the new program’s most important implications may concern ethics and safety.
The military applications of AI

An expert collection on the military applications of AI

Over the course of this week, the Bulletin, in partnership with the Stanley Foundation, is publishing top experts on how to manage the explosion of military AI research and development around the world. Here’s what you need to know: The promise and peril of military applications of artificial intelligence Michael C Horowitz; @mchorowitz Published Monday, … Continued

2018 Doomsday Clock Statement

It is now two minutes to midnight 2018 Doomsday Clock StatementScience and Security Board Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Editor, John Mecklin From the President   |   Full Statement   |   Board Biographies   |   About the Bulletin   |   Clock Timeline  |    Download PDF version Statement from the President and CEO The year just past proved perilous … Continued

A reality check and a way forward for the global governance of artificial intelligence

No one global governance model for AI is perfect—or desirable. Instead, policy makers must pursue several models, each starting in a targeted and focused manner before evolving.

Hollywood, nuclear war, and the art of saving the world

In addition to entertaining, artists can shift narratives and help change policy and should be recognized and rewarded.
A male Ukrainian military soldier with a quadcopter control panel with a joystick and a screen.

AI in war: Can advanced military technologies be tamed before it’s too late?

There is an urgency for countries to agree on common rules about the development, deployment, and use of emerging military tech in war.