In the shoes of Basil O’Conor, we stand today to declare that “The world cannot continue to wage war like physical giants and to seek peace like intellectual pygmies”.
Artificial Intelligence crept into the modern battlefield that has since been changed into AI war labs. Wars are fought on many fronts. The online front is just as dangerous as the physical one. Low morale developed through deepfakes and misinformation will quickly dilute the courage of frontline soldiers holding their guns amidst artillery and flying missiles. War is dirty. War is evil. We loathe war! Today we have a choice to talk about a topic we don’t like but deeply care about. It’s the difference between freedom, life, and hope for humanity, Artificial intelligence in the Modern battlefield!
Artificial Intelligence in Ukraine War Labs
In 2022, the lanky tai chi aficionado, Palantir, set foot in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv to tell them what looks like the biblical story, of how David can beat Goliath in this modern day without visiting the battlefield. Across the ornate wooden tables, he made grandiose promises that required faith in how the Artificial Intelligence war lab in the country would scare the enemies to keep Ukraine standing on both legs on sinking sand. Well, what alternative did Zelensky have? They probably gave in out of desperation. Two years later, the artificial intelligence drones and deployment of other AI tools have recorded a stupendous breakthrough and sent the enemy into a digital kill chain.
With the dwindling manpower to watch the back of military experts in Ukraine’s frontlines where many young people have lost appetite for the trigger, artificial intelligence is the only lens they have to look into the horrors of war with a smile. It is not Palantir alone holding the hands of Ukraine like Aaron holding Moses’ hands without caring about the smell of his armpit. Other players in the AI space such as Starlink and Google provide support in the form of AI-enabled models to supply accurate military intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence and Deepfakes in Online War
“The Zelensky video was really shittily done. Nobody in Ukraine believed it and it didn’t raise any concern in Ukraine. However, it was important as it was one of the first national security-focused deepfake videos that was intended to fool people.” These are the words of Todd Helmus, an AI disinformation expert.
The story is a hint to the thousands of deepfake videos and images used in online war. It is common to see a video of Volodymir Zelensky surrendering to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. In other cases, you can see Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President running to a bunker following Iran’s missile attack or Putin announcing a peace deal with Ukraine.
As the technology gets refined, it is difficult to tell deepfakes from real images and videos. The propagandists are leveraging the technological potential to use Artificial Intelligence to advance misinformation. Altered images are also used to portray war crimes and atrocities that never happened to trigger emotions. The greatest danger of artificial intelligence is its ability to promote distrust. Very soon, it will be difficult to trust any information from online sources.
In sum
Artificial Intelligence has turned modern battlefields Into AI war labs. From unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to unmanned armed underwater ammunition such as Armed Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AAUVs), it seems there is no place Artificial intelligence will not reach. As you fear the potential loss of jobs due to Elon Musk’s launching Optimus, you probably have greater things to fear. When attacked by humans who have feelings, you have a chance at survival Unfortunately, when you’re being traced with loitering munitions whose only brain is Artificial Intelligence over your head with an anti-tank warhead, you’ll never have time to negotiate in this life, perhaps in the next.
