RIEM News LogoRIEM News

The ‘Wild West’ of AI: defense tech, ethics, and escalation

The ‘Wild West’ of AI: defense tech, ethics, and escalation
Source: interestingengineering
Author: @IntEngineering
Published: 7/31/2025

To read the full content, please visit the original article.

Read original article
The article explores the rapid transformation of modern warfare driven by artificial intelligence (AI), electronic warfare (EW), and autonomous systems, as discussed by Will Ashford-Brown, Director of Strategic Insights at Heligan Group. Over the past five years, AI has become deeply integrated into military operations, from combat roles like drone piloting and target acquisition to support functions such as IT assistance within defense organizations. Despite these advances, Ashford-Brown emphasizes that human oversight remains crucial, especially in decisions involving lethal force, due to unresolved ethical concerns and a significant trust gap in fully autonomous systems. Ashford-Brown distinguishes between AI as a supporting technology and true autonomy, highlighting that robust AI is necessary to achieve fully autonomous military systems. Experimental AI-driven drones demonstrate potential in overcoming electronic jamming and operating in denied environments, but human intent and intervention continue to be central to their operation. Additionally, AI’s ability to rapidly analyze satellite imagery is revolutionizing battlefield intelligence, drastically shortening the kill chain from hours to minutes and

Tags

robotartificial-intelligenceautonomous-systemsdefense-technologymilitary-droneselectronic-warfareAI-ethics