{"id":650051,"date":"2025-01-20T07:45:16","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T04:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-pentagon-says-ai-is-speeding-up-its-kill-chain\/"},"modified":"2025-01-20T07:45:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T04:45:16","slug":"the-pentagon-says-ai-is-speeding-up-its-kill-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-pentagon-says-ai-is-speeding-up-its-kill-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Pentagon says AI is speeding up its &#8216;kill chain&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a360d40566e7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a360d40566e7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-pentagon-says-ai-is-speeding-up-its-kill-chain\/#Life_and_death_and_AI_weapons\" >Life and death, and AI weapons<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-pentagon-says-ai-is-speeding-up-its-kill-chain\/#AI_safety_in_the_Pentagon\" >AI safety in the Pentagon<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leading AI developers, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, are threading a delicate needle to sell software to the United States military: make the Pentagon more efficient, without letting their AI kill people. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, their tools are not being used as weapons, but AI is giving the Department of Defense a \u201csignificant advantage\u201d in identifying, tracking, and assessing threats, the Pentagon\u2019s Chief Digital and AI Officer, Dr. Radha Plumb, told TechCrunch in a phone interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe obviously are increasing the ways in which we can speed up the execution of kill chain so that our commanders can respond in the right time to protect our forces,\u201d said Plumb.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201ckill chain\u201d refers to the military\u2019s process of identifying, tracking, and eliminating threats, involving a complex system of sensors, platforms, and weapons. Generative AI is proving helpful during the planning and strategizing phases of the kill chain, according to Plumb.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The relationship between the Pentagon and AI developers is a relatively new one. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta walked back their usage policies in 2024 to let U.S. intelligence and defense agencies use their AI systems. However, they still don\u2019t allow their AI to harm humans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve been really clear on what we will and won\u2019t use their technologies for,\u201d Plumb said, when asked how the Pentagon works with AI model providers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nonetheless, this kicked off a speed dating round for AI companies and defense contractors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/about.fb.com\/news\/2024\/11\/open-source-ai-america-global-security\/\">partnered with Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen<\/a>, among others, to bring its Llama AI models to defense agencies in November. That same month, Anthropic teamed up with Palantir. In December, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/openai-anduril-defense\/\">OpenAI struck a similar deal <\/a>with Anduril. More quietly, Cohere has also been deploying its models with Palantir.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As generative AI proves its usefulness in the Pentagon, it could push Silicon Valley to loosen its AI usage policies and allow more military <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPlaying through different scenarios is something that generative AI can be helpful with,\u201d said Plumb. \u201cIt allows you to take advantage of the full range of tools our commanders have available, but also think creatively about different response options and potential trade offs in an environment where there\u2019s a potential threat, or <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of threats, that need to be prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unclear whose <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> the Pentagon is using for this work; using generative AI in the kill chain (even at the early planning phase) does seem to violate the usage policies of several leading model developers. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/legal\/aup\">Anthropic\u2019s policy<\/a>, for example, prohibits using its models to produce or modify \u201csystems designed to cause harm to or loss of human life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to our questions, Anthropic pointed TechCrunch towards its CEO Dario Amodei\u2019s<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/e75e3388-4700-413d-ab67-778410c2d977\"> recent interview with the Financial Times<\/a>, where he defended his military work:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The position that we should never use AI in defense and intelligence settings doesn\u2019t make sense to me. The position that we should go gangbusters and use it to make anything we want \u2014 up to and including doomsday weapons \u2014 that\u2019s obviously just as crazy. We\u2019re trying to seek the middle ground, to do things responsibly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OpenAI, Meta, and Cohere did not respond to TechCrunch\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-life-and-death-and-ai-weapons\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Life_and_death_and_AI_weapons\"><\/span>Life and death, and AI weapons<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent months, a defense tech debate has broken out around whether AI weapons should really be allowed to make life and death decisions. Some argue the U.S. military already has weapons that do. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey recently <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PalmerLuckey\/status\/1844814323207847962\">noted on X<\/a> that the U.S. military has a long history of purchasing and using autonomous weapons systems such as a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PalmerLuckey\/status\/1845177385509061074\">CIWS turret<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe DoD has been purchasing and using autonomous weapons systems for decades now. Their use (and export!) is well-understood, tightly defined, and explicitly regulated by rules that are not at all voluntary,\u201d said Luckey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when TechCrunch asked if the Pentagon buys and operates weapons that are fully autonomous \u2013 ones with no humans in the loop \u2013 Plumb rejected the idea on principle. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo, is the short answer,\u201d said Plumb. \u201cAs a matter of both reliability and ethics, we\u2019ll always have humans involved in the decision to employ force, and that includes for our weapon systems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The word \u201cautonomy\u201d is somewhat ambiguous and has sparked debates all over the tech industry about when automated systems \u2013 such as AI coding agents, self-driving cars, or self-firing weapons \u2013 become truly independent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plumb said the idea that automated systems are independently making life and death decisions was \u201ctoo binary,\u201d and the reality was less \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> fiction-y.\u201d Rather, she suggested the Pentagon\u2019s use of AI systems are really a collaboration between humans and machines, where senior leaders are making active decisions throughout the entire process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople tend to think about this like there are robots somewhere, and then the gonculator [a fictional autonomous machine] spits out a sheet of paper, and humans just check a box,\u201d said Plumb. \u201cThat\u2019s not how human-machine teaming works, and that\u2019s not an effective way to use these types of AI systems.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ai-safety-in-the-pentagon\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"AI_safety_in_the_Pentagon\"><\/span><strong>AI safety in the Pentagon<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military partnerships haven\u2019t always gone over well with Silicon Valley employees. Last year, dozens of Amazon and Google employees were<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/google-fires-28-workers-who-protested-its-contracts-wit-1851418289\"> fired and arrested after protesting their companies\u2019 military contracts with Israel<\/a>, cloud deals that fell under the codename \u201cProject Nimbus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comparatively, there\u2019s been a fairly muted response from the AI community. Some AI researchers, such as Anthropic\u2019s Evan Hubinger, say the use of AI in militaries is inevitable, and it\u2019s critical to work directly with the military to ensure they get it right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you take catastrophic risks from AI seriously, the U.S. government is an extremely important actor to engage with, and trying to just block the U.S. government out of using AI is not a viable strategy,\u201d said Hubinger in a November<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lesswrong.com\/posts\/HE3Styo9vpk7m8zi4\/evhub-s-shortform?commentId=5HEqdHd9qozS9Piam\"> post to the online forum LessWrong<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to just focus on catastrophic risks, you also have to prevent any way that the government could possibly misuse your models.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/01\/19\/the-pentagon-says-ai-is-speeding-up-its-kill-chain\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leading AI developers, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, are threading a delicate needle to sell software to the United States military: make the Pentagon more efficient, without letting their AI kill people. Today, their tools are not being used as weapons, but AI is giving the Department of Defense a \u201csignificant advantage\u201d in identifying, tracking,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":650052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/defense-tech-survey.jpg?resize=1200,675","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[77337,152633,152300,151476,151537,70376,141199,134368,151454],"class_list":["post-650051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-ai","tag-ai-safety","tag-anthropic","tag-defense-tech","tag-government-policy","tag-military","tag-openai","tag-pentagon","tag-tc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}