The dangers of artificial intelligence overshadowed those of nuclear weapons at a Defense Forum discussion on strategic stability in Singapore, with participants warning that it could reduce reaction times to the point where people make rash decisions.Lt. Gen. Noman Zakaria, commander of the Pakistan Army’s I Corps and Missile Force Command, said the breakdown of the so-called “OODA loop” — an acronym for Observe, Direct, Decide and Act — creates a kind of fog “where a human being cannot assess the situation quickly enough.”These concerns were echoed by the only committee member not directly involved in defense and security, Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
She warned that although technology has the potential to improve lives, it significantly increases the risk of war.“We don’t know where to pull the trigger,” Spulga saidRick said. “It could be thousands of kilometers away. So, although AI has the potential to protect civilians, what we are seeing at the moment is only the downside.”Nuclear weapons, the classic example of strategic deterrence, continue to feature strongly in the talks.
People’s Liberation Army Major General Meng Xiangqing reiterated China’s no-first-use policy and added that if more countries adopted this position, the world would be a safer place. “If we can do that, we can reduce risks and we can further enhance strategic stability,” he said.The conversation returned again and again to artificial intelligence. General Ono Eichelsheim, the Dutch Defense Minister, noted that such technology has already appeared on the battlefield where the Ukrainians have used it to anticipate Russian attacks. The United States also said it used artificial intelligence to plan Iranian strikes.“AI poses a significant risk of escalation,” Eichelsheim said. “I think that’s clear.” “But I’m not naive. It will be used in the field. It’s already in use.”(This is a Bloomberg story)