Bloomberg News
June 1, 2023

James Stavridis: Ukraine War May Become a Proving Ground for AI

Artificial intelligence is, suddenly, everywhere…..

Thus far, however, relatively little has been written about the implications of AI on warfare and geopolitics. For better and worse, those arenas also lend themselves to a variety of ways in which new technologies can suddenly break apart paradigms…..Military technology – submarines, radar, sonar, nuclear weapons – can change the global balance in an instant.

Are we at such a moment with AI? Perhaps. A good point of comparison might be the advent of nuclear weapons, when the most experienced warrior of his age, General Douglas MacArthur, saw the atomic bombs used on Japan and said simply that “warfare is changed forever.”

How will artificial intelligence completely change warfare?

First and foremost, AI will be a powerful tool for decision makers on the battlefield at every level….

***

AI could also instantly provide highly detailed strategic targeting information….In the Libyan campaign of 2011, which I commanded, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization struggled with…less-than-optimal target selection – capabilities AI could easily have provided.

Another crucial capability of AI is the ability to control massive swarms of drones in synchronized attack formations….Using AI to direct drones in Ukraine, for example, could allow the Kyiv government to further deplete Russia’s dwindling supply of armor, and also cause its forces to waste critical air-defense missiles.

AI could also be a powerful tool in psychological and information warfare. Creating deepfakes ­- for example, videos purporting to show certain combat effects – could cause mistaken reactions by enemy forces….Ukraine could further the Russians’ sense of a failing war through a flood of AI-generated fake images, false stories and shadow operations.

***

Finally, the ability to use AI to conduct cyberattacks may be its most dangerous attribute. As militaries continue to run combat operations, logistics, targeting, intelligence and all other aspects of modern warfare with the internet as the backbone, the ability to crack into an opponent’s cyber networks will be crucial. Particularly with advances in quantum computing, superior AI systems will allow overall mastery of the cyber battlefield.

Photo: Getty.