Autonomy on the battlefield represents one possible usage of narrow AI by militaries around the world. Research and development on autonomous weapon systems (AWS) by major powers, middle powers, and non-state actors makes exploring the consequences for the security environment a crucial task.
Michael will draw on classic research in security studies and examples from military history to assess how AWS could influence two outcome areas: the development and deployment of systems, including arms races, and the stability of deterrence, including strategic stability, the risk of crisis instability, and wartime escalation. He focuses on these questions through the lens of two characteristics of AWS: the potential for increased operational speed and the potential for decreased human control over battlefield choices.
Michael C. Horowitz is professor of political science and the associate director of Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Horowitz is the author of The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics, and the co-author of Why Leaders Fight. He won the 2017 Karl Deutsch Award given by the International Studies Association for early career contributions to the fields of international relations and peace research. His research interests include the intersection of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics with global politics, military innovation, the role of leaders in international politics, and geopolitical forecasting methodology. Professor Horowitz previously worked for the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy in the Department of Defense. He is affiliated with the Center for a New American Security, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Foreign Policy Research Institute. You can find him on Twitter @mchorowitz.
Allan Dafoe will be joining Michael on stage as discussant and host. Allan Dafoe is the Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow in the International Politics of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford. He is also Director of the Center for the Governance of AI (GovAI), at University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, which is a leading site for governance thinking about AI. Allan’s research focuses on characterizing and building the field of AI governance, and on great power cooperation and conflict around AI. For more information see: allandafoe.com
This event is part of the Center for the Governance of AI Trinity Term Seminar Series. The Center for the Governance of AI, housed at the Future of Humanity Institute, strives to help humanity capture the benefits and mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence. Our main focus is on the political challenges arising from transformative AI: advanced AI systems whose long-term impacts may be as profound as the industrial revolution. The Center seeks to guide the development of AI for the common good by conducting research on important and neglected issues of AI governance, and advising decision makers on this research through policy engagement. For further events, register at tinyurl.com/govai-events
