November 07, 2024

Controlling the danger: managing the risks of AI-enabled nuclear systems

Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have accelerated the debate among US and European policymakers about the opportunities and risks of military AI. In many cases, this debate is an attempt to answer four simple questions with murky answers: what are the military advantages of AI? What are its risks? How can we balance the risks and opportunities? And how do we prevent these risks from devolving into a greater crisis? This paper deals with one of the risks: the further integration of AI and autonomous tools into the nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) networks of nuclear-armed powers. I start by outlining some of the ways AI has previously been used in NC3 systems, then examine the risks that these systems pose, and finally offer some solutions that the international community can deploy.

Read the full article from the NATO Defense College.

  • Commentary
    • May 22, 2025
    Sharper: America’s Edge

    A volatile global security environment requires the United States and its allies to develop new tactics and capabilities to deal with novel global threats. On June 3, policyma...

    By Charles Horn

  • Commentary
    • May 20, 2025
    Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure on DOE Lands

    Maintaining America’s lead in AI data centers is critical for U.S. AI dominance....

    By Caleb Withers, Janet Egan & Spencer Michaels

  • Podcast
    • May 19, 2025
    Droning On: How Ukraine and Russia Have Revolutionized Drone Warfare

    In this episode of Three Questions, Paul Saunders speaks with Samuel Bendett, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Mr. Bendett is a military ana...

    By Samuel Bendett

  • Commentary
    • CEPA
    • May 9, 2025
    Tariffs and Tech: An Uncertain Recipe

    Higher tariffs could prompt American cloud companies to shift more of their capital investments abroad....

    By Pablo Chavez

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia