The key facts

  • Robin Geiss (UNIDIR): 'the war of machines is drawing ever closer'; the key question is whether we will allow machines to target and kill people
  • AI is being used in intelligence analysis, target identification, drones, cyberattacks and information operations; decision cycles are compressing to machine speed, including in the nuclear sphere
  • On 21 October in New York, the forum of the UNIDIR Centre of Competence on AI, Peace and Security launches with Switzerland and Pakistan; three more initiatives will be presented during the week

'The war of machines is drawing ever closer,' said the head of UNIDIR

Robin Geiss, Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), said at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday that 'the war of machines is drawing ever closer,' as artificial intelligence is already embedded in military operations. 'The question, put simply, is this: will we allow machines to target and kill people?' he said, presenting new initiatives of the UNIDIR Centre of Competence on AI, Peace and Security.

AI in military operations and the compression of decision-making cycles

According to Geiss, AI and autonomous systems are already being used 'in intelligence analysis, target identification, drones, cyberattacks, information operations and so on.' He noted that decision-making cycles are compressing to machine speed, while the space for human judgment is narrowing, including in the nuclear sphere. Geiss warned that the proliferation of AI capabilities lowers the barrier to entry into complex operations, potentially opening access to them for non-state actors. He also pointed out that a small number of countries and companies is shaping security outcomes in ways 'that traditional arms control mechanisms were not designed to account for.'

Geopolitics and the military AI race

Geiss acknowledged that geopolitical competition and tensions are serious obstacles on the way forward, but added that concern over AI's impact already extends beyond geopolitical blocs and is prompting major powers to act. On the battlefield, in his assessment, the military AI race is 'above all a race for speed,' including shortening the time 'from sensor to shooter.' He cautioned against a broader risk: 'losing control not over individual weapons systems but, perhaps, if we overdo it, over military processes as a whole.'

New UN forum on AI and security

Geiss announced that on Thursday in New York, together with Switzerland and Pakistan, UNIDIR will launch a new forum of the Centre of Competence, which he called 'the only multilateral body in the UN system working on AI in international peace, security and the military sphere.' Three more initiatives will be presented during the week. The goal is to identify gaps and propose 'concrete measures implementable at the national and international levels,' while ensuring that efforts to prevent misuse do not restrict everyone's access to the peaceful use and benefits of artificial intelligence.