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The Weaponization of AI, Source: The Future of Life Institute. (2021).…
The Weaponization of AI
Accountability
Cause: fully autonomous weapons cannot be held accountable in legal preceedings, thus questions rise on who is to be held accountable, especially when civilians are mistakenly killed.
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Civilian Casualties
Cause: AI weapons are currently not sophisticated enough to target single individuals, making civilian deaths far too common.
Effects: more innocent people, including children, lose their lives in so-called "peacekeeping missions".
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Unpredictability
Cause: the complex interactions between the algorithm and the dynamic operational context makes AI weapons unpredictable.
Effects: AI weapons won't be able to make ethical choices and may not distinguish civilians, who might be mistakenly killed.
Escalation
Cause: the scale and speed at which AI weapons can operate might lead to conflicts rapidly escalating, perhaps even accidentally, yet irreversabily.
Effects: this will reduce the time and space available for de-escalatory measures, potentially worsening conflicts and making diplomatic talks more difficult.
Proliferation
Cause: AI weapons, such as drones, are cheap to produce and, especially, are easy to transport thanks to their size, making them hard to detect. Thus, proliferation will be inevitable.
Effects: proliferation might lead to AI weapons falling into the wrong hands, such as those of terrorist groups or authoritarian leaders, who might use them to oppress the population.
Mass Destruction
Cause: contrary to conventional weapons, AI weapons are extemely adaptable - the destruction they can create solely depends on how many are available/used. This means they can easily create mass destruction.
Effects: this can have drastic effects on entire countries, not just on soldiers, but on innocent civilians too.
Lowering the Cost of War
Cause: the costs of war with AI weapons descreases significantly, both in terms on combatants' lives and physical cost of weapon production. This will lower the disincentives that were linked to war.
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