Science, Technology and Industry (Spotlight Brief 1/21)

Clausewitzian friction and autonomous weapon systems

Source: Comparative Strategy – Jan 21

Friction is a constant companion in the human activity of war. A lot of effort seeks to reduce this friction, with autonomous systems and weapons being amongst the latest solutions. It is a tempting argument: an autonomous system can be free of human frailty and errors, focusing on a single mission with relentless mechanical application. As with all solutions though, these systems bring in their own friction sources – including some that may unintentionally contribute to escalation or uncertainty. Compounding this is the simplest solution, retaining a human within or on the loop, undermines a forces capability, especially against a threat using AI themselves. We know new capabilities almost inevitably introduce new complexities – it follows that AI and autonomous weapons may not be the ‘fog-clearing’ panacea many claim.

Further reading:

‘Illiteracy, Not Morality, Is Holding Back Military Integration of Artificial Intelligence’, National Interest, 15 Feb 21

‘Artificial intelligence and ML in workplace: major trends for 2021’, Analytics Insight, 22 Jan 21

‘The Four Mistakes That Kill Artificial Intelligence Projects’, Forbes, 16 Dec 20

‘War machines: can AI for war be ethical?’, The Cove, 14 Dec 20

‘Will Artificial Intelligence Ever Live Up to Its Hype?’, Scientific American, 04 Dec 20