Autonomy in weapons systems, and AI in security and defence
- France: Armes autonomes: «La France doit jouer un rôle moteur pour un traité international d’interdiction et de régulation»: An op-ed in Le Monde, signed by Amnesty International France, Handicap International, Human Rights Watch and l’Observatoire des armements, calls on France to be a driving force in the negotiation of an international treaty on autonomous weapons (article is in French)
- Israel: Palantir Supplying Israel With New Tools Since Hamas War Started: Bloomberg reports that the data analysis firm Palantir ‘is seeing high demand from Israel for new tools’, but notes that Palantir has not confirmed which of its products were being used. More detail on Palantir’s ‘Artifical Intelligence Platform’ is available here, as featured in previous news briefings.
- International: AI in war – Can advanced military technologies be tamed before it’s too late? A piece in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists provides an overview of recent developments in the use of different AI technologies for military purposes, and argues that ‘the United States should commit to meaningful oversight regarding the Pentagon’s development of autonomous and AI weapons’, and that ‘the United States and like-minded democracies should push for the creation of an internationally sanctioned independent expert group to monitor the continuing effects of AI tools used in war.’
- Academic research: Special Issue: The Algorithmic Turn in Security and Warfare, Global Society 38 (1) 2024: A special issue of the journal Global Society focuses on the ‘algorithmic turn’ in security and warfare.
- Academic research: Can autonomous weapon systems be seized? Interactions with the law of prize and war booty, Journal of Conflict and Security Law: The author argues that by introducing increasing levels of electronic and digital components into weapon systems, states are ‘introducing opportunities for adversaries to hack, suborn or take over AWSs in a manner unthinkable compared to conventional weaponry.’
Regulation and enforcement
- EU: EU prepares to push back on private sector carve-out from international AI treaty: Euractiv reports that ‘The European Commission is preparing to push back on a US-led attempt to exempt the private sector from the world’s first international treaty on Artificial Intelligence while pushing for as much alignment as possible with the EU’s AI Act.’
- International: What’s next for AI regulation in 2024: The MIT Technology Review provides an overview of potential AI regulation around the world in 2024.
Facial recognition, biometric identification, surveillance
- International: The battle for biometric privacy: Writing in Wired, Joy Buolamwini makes some predictions for 2024 on governmental use of biometric technologies and the fight for biometric privacy.
- US: ‘Constantly monitored’: the pushback against AI surveillance at work: A piece in The Guardian notes that ‘ As technologies grow ever more sophisticated in monitoring, surveilling and speeding up workers, many workplace experts say US businesses, labor unions and government are not doing nearly enough to protect workers from tech’s downsides.’
- US: Surveillance capitalism has taken over immigration enforcement—stifling dissent and sowing fear for profit: PRISM reports on ‘LexisNexis Risk Solutions, whose Accurint tool produces comprehensive dossiers with identifying information, court data, and details of relatives, associates, and social media usage of practically all U.S. residents, citizens and non-citizens alike.’ The sale of this data to ICE and its subsequent use by the agency raises severe ethical and humanitarian concerns.
AI, algorithms and autonomy in the wider world
- International: AI-powered misinformation is the world’s biggest short-term threat, Davos report says: A World Economic Forum report has ‘listed misinformation and disinformation as the most severe risk over the next two years, highlighting how rapid advances in technology also are creating new problems or making existing ones worse’
- International: The algorithms too few people are talking about: Amos Toh, a senior tech and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, writes that ‘a preoccupation with generative AI is overshadowing other forms of algorithmic decision-making that are already deeply embedded in society and the lessons they offer on regulating emerging technology;’ including ‘algorithms that are woven into the fabric of government services and dictate whether people can afford food, housing, and health care.’
- India: Dr Urvashi Aneja on checks and balances in the age of AI | It’s time for a radical rethink: Dr Urvashi Uneja writes for India Today on how the oscillation between ‘unbridled enthusiasm’ and ‘doomsday scenarios on the impact of AI ‘get in the way of building the incentive structures, capacities and partnerships needed to develop AI that is in the public interest.’ While debunking hypes around the capabilities of AI systems, Dr Uneja calls for a socially responsible way of introducing these systems into society.
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