Nato Takes AI to the War ZONE

Using AI for WAR?

As they seek to strengthen the alliance’s collective defense, NATO countries have made artificial intelligence (AI) a primary priority. AI has emerged as the next big area in the theater of battle.

 

In addition to celebrating the alliance’s 75th anniversary, a summit in Washington, D.C., next week will center on defending NATO in a geopolitical environment that is becoming more hostile.

 

The conflict in Ukraine has had far-reaching effects on the world stage, impacting everything from trade to defense due to the growing gulf between the West and its main authoritarian foes.

 

The evolution of AI technology is key to NATO’s strategy for defending itself in difficult times.

 

With the conflict in Ukraine, the use of drones in kinetic warfare increased dramatically, leading to an AI arms race and the necessity for new offensive and defensive tactics.

 

 

Concerning fighting Chinese and Russian AI capabilities in times of war, retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, remarked, “One should not mistake concern for despair.”

 

“Just as there are reasons for concern in countering Chinese and Russian kinetic weapons — such as hypersonic maneuvering cruise missiles — the U.S. has the ability to build effective offensive and defensive systems to deter and, if necessary, defeat adversary actions,” he stated.

Under a program called Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), which collaborates with both public and private businesses to develop “deep technologies” to meet the alliance’s defense concerns, NATO more than doubled the number of its tech accelerator sites in March.

 

28 of the 32 NATO countries will host testing facilities under DIANA, an initiative to foster innovation in AI, cybersecurity, 5G, hypersonic travel, and autonomous systems within the alliance.

 

According to former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment Marshall Billingslea, “There will be doctrinal discussions at NATO on making sure that we don’t have ‘SKYNET’ take over and start engaging in kinetic action without humans making decisions,” Fox News Digital was informed.

 

“As drones become increasingly sophisticated while remaining inexpensive, and as people introduce artificial intelligence into drones for attack, there is a need for a comparable level of AI that has to get incorporated into countering UAS [unmanned aircraft systems], as well as theater missile defense capabilities,” he stated.

 

According to Billingslea, the United States now use artificial intelligence (AI) efficiently for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; however, this application is now being extended throughout NATO.

 

The alliance’s AI programs are intended not only to gather security and intelligence data from all member states but also to make better use of that data by reducing the workload associated with human analysis. This is part of the alliance’s efforts to strengthen its collective defense.