September 27, 2018
Future of Life Institute: AI and Nuclear Weapons – Trust, Accidents, and New Risks with Paul Scharre and Mike Horowitz
In 1983, Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov prevented what could have been a devastating nuclear war by trusting his gut instinct that the algorithm in his early-warning system wrongly sensed incoming missiles. In this case, we praise Petrov for choosing human judgment over the automated system in front of him. But what will happen as the AI algorithms deployed in the nuclear sphere become much more advanced, accurate, and difficult to understand? Will the next officer in Petrov’s position be more likely to trust the “smart” machine in front of him?
On this month’s podcast, Ariel spoke with Paul Scharre and Mike Horowitz from the Center for a New American Security about the role of automation in the nuclear sphere, and how the proliferation of AI technologies could change nuclear posturing and the effectiveness of deterrence. Paul is a former Pentagon policy official, and the author of Army of None: Autonomous Weapons in the Future of War. Mike Horowitz is professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and the author of The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics.
Listen to the full conversation here.
More from CNAS
-
CNAS Insights
Technology & National Security
CNAS Insights | Sovereign AI’s Second Wave Is Coming Into ViewEarlier this year, CNAS launched the Sovereign AI Index to track every government-backed sovereign AI project since 2023. These projects seek to improve a country’s AI self-re...
By Pablo Chavez, Vivek Chilukuri & Ruby Scanlon
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Is AI All Hype or the Real Deal?Anthony Vinci, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins Eyes on Geopolitics to break down the rapidly evolving AI landscape, from China’s grow...
By Anthony Vinci
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Russia Technology Expert Says Ukraine's Drone War Erased the Front Line: Sam BendettSam Bendett, an adviser with CNA's Russia Studies Program, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and a Senior Associate with the CSIS Europe, Rus...
By Samuel Bendett
-
Congressional Testimony
Technology & National Security
The Economic Cost of Russia’s War in UkraineSamuel Bendett, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins BBC Audio's World Business Report to discuss how the Russia-Ukraine War has transform...
By Samuel Bendett
