AI is creating a bonanza for tech companies and is being cast as a cleaner way to wage war, but the human cost is devastating
The tech industry’s emerging role as a defense contractor is transforming the global battlefield in ways that frighten and mesmerize. We’re now seeing how data-driven technology is shaping modern warfare, though it’s hard to fully fathom the level of death and destruction that is in store.
One of the most chilling examples of Silicon Valley’s military advance is Israel’s use of Amazon and Google cloud services and AI technology to store surveillance information on Gaza’s population, as part of a contract called Project Nimbus. The technology is helping Israel process and analyze vast amounts of data on Palestinians, including facial recognition and demographic information. The AI tools have been reportedly used to monitor and force Palestinians off their land, and in some cases, have enabled Israel’s military to carry out aerial assassinations that have killed and injured scores of civilians.
In Ukraine, the battlefield has turned into a laboratory for the latest military technologies. Palantir, a data-analytics company with close ties to the American intelligence community, uses AI tools to analyze satellite imagery, open-source data, drone footage, and oversee most of Ukraine’s military targeting efforts, in particular against Russian tanks and artillery. While Palantir has been dubbed the AI arms dealer of the 21st century, a host of other tech firms have descended onto Ukraine. These companies are selling weapons systems and collecting a trove of data about how battles are fought and how people and machines react under fire. The data itself is a crucial resource and a windfall for companies, because AI systems need data for fuel—they need to be fed with large amounts of images from complex environments in order to operate. (more.)
The dangerous acceleration of remote-controlled warfare
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