Agenda - " Artificial Intelligence in Military"

Agenda - “Artificial Intelligence in Military”
“Artificial intelligence is the future [...] for all humankind. [...]Whoever becomes the
leader in this sphere will become ruler of the world.”
Introduction
In this 21st century this world has entered in a phase which is moreover techno oriented, this
international community has entered into that domain of warfare where it has already taken the
shift from the Kalashnikov to the Keyboard. It was asserted that ‘Guns do not kill people: people
kill people, but gone are those days. Today, weapons make the decisions. When artificial
intelligence (hereinafter, referred to as AI) and robotics come together, there are two different
outcomes that can occur. On the one hand, one can see immeasurable social, economic and
political improvements to our society. On the other hand, the military uses these tools to create
new weapons of mass destructions (hereinafter, lethal autonomous weapon systems or LAWS)
rendering nuclear obsolete. Recognizing the threat to international peace and security caused by
lethal autonomous weapons, 116 founders of robotics and artificial intelligence companies from
26 countries released an open letter urging the United Nations to ban lethal autonomous weapons
systems.
Definition
Techopedia defines Artificial Intelligence as
Definition - What does Artificial Intelligence (AI) mean?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of
intelligent machines that work and react like humans. Some of the activities computers with
artificial intelligence are designed for include:
 Speech recognition
 Learning
 Planning
 Problem solving
The United States military has a long tradition of embracing new technologies. The Wright
brothers built airplanes for the U.S. Army. The U.S. Navy commissioned the first motorized
submarine. One of the most influential scientific endeavors in history, the Manhattan Project,
was a military operation. Military adoption of new technology continues to this day.
1953:
The USS Mississippi test-fires one of the earliest computer-guided missiles, Launching a 1,180-
pound RIM-2 Terrier off the coast of Cape Cod. A few years later, the Talos missile system
comes online, using a homing device that automatically corrects for variations in altitude and
speed.
1972:
The U.S. Air Force uses laser-guided weapons to destroy the strategic Thanh Hoa Bridge in
North Vietnam, marking the first time a so-called “smart bomb” successfully destroys a major
enemy target. During the Vietnam War, the Air Force also deploys autonomous unmanned
surveillance aircraft that fly in circular patterns and shoot film until their fuel runs out.
1994:
The U.S. government awards General Atomics a contract to build the RQ-1 Predator drone,
which will transmit video footage in real time over satellite link, guided by ground based
controllers who can be thousands of miles away. A little more than a year later, the unmanned
aerial surveillance vehicle is operating over Bosnia. By 2001, it has been upgraded to carry
Hellfire missiles. The autonomy of current systems as of 2018 is restricted in the sense that a
human gives the final command to attack - though there are exceptions with certain "defensive"
systems.
In 2014, former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel posited the "Third Offset Strategy" that rapid
advances in artificial intelligence will define the next generation of warfare.[19] According to data
science and analytics firm Govini, The U.S. Department of Defense increased investment in
artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing from $5.6 billion in 2011 to $7.4 billion in
2018.[20] However, the civilian NSF budget for AI saw no increase in 2018. The U.S. has many
military AI combat programs, such as the Sea Hunter autonomous warship, which is designed to
operate for extended periods at sea without a single crew member, and to even guide itself in and
out of port.[4] As of 2017, a temporary US Department of Defense directive requires a human
operator to be kept in the loop when it comes to the taking of human life by autonomous
weapons systems.[21] Japan Times reported in 2018 that the United States private investment is
around $70 billion per year.
LAWS would allow for a reduction in the number of soldiers serving on the front line and
could reduce the burden of so-called “dull, dirty, or dangerous missions” (such as missions
involving long-duration sorties, exposition to harmful radiological materiel, or high-risk
situations). Robots would also be able to react much faster than humans and to act with higher
precision. International Humanitarian Law and the Law of Armed Conflict could even be coded
into their systems so as to prevent their violation(as occurs with human forces who can be prone
to anger, hatred, and political objectives). LAWS could also allow for financial savings. General
Robert Cone, former commander of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, suggested in
2014 that by relying more on “support robots”, the size of a brigade could be reduced from four
thousand to three thousand soldiers. The potential importance of LAWS on the battlefield of the
future is why so many nations are investing in these systems, so member states should certainly
not neglect their own strategic interests while debating this issue. Nonetheless, LAWS do present
a number of issues that delegates should also take into account during their negotiations.
Military AI
Some current uses of artificial intelligence by the military include systems in non-combat roles.
DART, a planning tool, utilized A.I. and was used in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Training
simulators are being developed that incorporate A.I. The U.S. Air Force is working with private
industry to develop systems for faster collection and examination of information. The goal is to
improve reaction and decision-making time to implement more effective military actions. Like
many of the military's uses of A.I., it involves information management and decision making.
Questions a Resolution Must Answer (QARMA)

1) Should LAWS or AI in military be regulated in any shape or form? If so, how and to what
extent?
2) Can LAWS ever be acceptable under international law?
3) Investigation, prevention, and mitigation of potential malicious uses of Artificial Intelligence.
4) Do a special body need to be created to regulate Artificial Intelligence?
5) Would limitations apply only to fully autonomous weapons, or also semi-autonomous
weapons?
6) The role of non-state actors in the use of Artificial Intelligence and Lethal
Autonomous Weapons Systems.

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Questions a Resolution Must Answer (QARMA)

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