Posted in US Army War College Quarterly Monthly: ParametersA Monash University-directed article suggests that teams of humans under the control, oversight or command of AI will likely defeat teams of human-controlled robots on the battlefields of tomorrow.
Monash University philosophy professor Robert Sparrow led the study together with Dr Adam Henschke of the University of Twente. The study showed that artificial intelligence is more capable of performing war-related cognitive tasks than robots that reproduce the functions of the human body needed on the battlefield.
“In industry today, when people and smart machines work together in teams, it’s often machines doing the mental work and people doing the physical work,” said Professor Sparrow.
We think that this will also apply in the army,” he said.
The study showed that the image of the minotaur, a mythical creature with a human body and a bull’s head, is more appropriate in the model of the human horse than in the modern doctrine of the unity of man and robot. mythical creature with a human head and hands and a horse body.
The study highlights that the field of artificial intelligence is now advancing faster than robotic research, leading researchers to conclude that artificial intelligence “heads” are better than robot “bodies.”
According to the authors, this is one of the reasons why Amazon warehouse workers have turned into machine workers. When it comes to logistics, instead of people choosing where a self-driving car is going, autonomous systems teach people when, where, and how to go.
Professor Sparrow said the Ukrainian military is already using an algorithm similar to the one used to target weapons systems in the current war with Russia.
“New technology is accelerating the pace of wars so much that it’s hard for people to keep up,” he said. “Ultimately, the pursuit of victory may require handing over command to the machines, and victory can be determined by which force has the best AI.
“Given the pace of AI development, there is an urgent need to consider the consequences of minotaur warfare, both for the effectiveness of future warring forces and for humans who will increasingly wage wars under the leadership of machines.”
Professor Sparrow said it may also be an ethical imperative to put people in control, surveillance and command of machinery to protect their lives on the battlefield.
However, the authors also highlight the ethical issues surrounding minotaur warfare, including the question of whether machines should be given the right to send humans to their deaths and whether subordinating humans to machines belongs to humans as tools. While the Minotaurs are the way of the future, the authors argue that we need to make sure that winning the war doesn’t cost our humanity. Source