this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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The US Department of Defense has deployed machine learning algorithms to identify targets in over 85 air strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria this year.

The Pentagon has done this sort of thing since at least 2017 when it launched Project Maven, which sought suppliers capable of developing object recognition software for footage captured by drones. Google pulled out of the project when its own employees revolted against using AI for warfare, but other tech firms have been happy to help out.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Just in case we can't say it later, I love you all.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I love you too internet stranger

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

thanks this made me guffaw

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A T-800 tried to kill John Connor. A T-800 also tried to protect John Connor. It's all down to what the people programming it decide it should be aimed at.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The first T-800 was developed and programmed by Skynet. Only the second T-800 was "programmed" (hacked) by people. Skynet does not approve.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The point is that T-800s are not inherently "good" or "evil."

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Couple of important things to point out:

  1. "The object recognition algorithms are used to identify potential targets. Humans then operate weapons systems." So AI isn't finding a target and then firing on it's own. It's using AI Vision Systems to locate and prioritize targets, firing authority remains with the platform operator.
  2. Ukraine is already doing this with their drones, I was watching a video feed of it just last night, thanks Binkov!
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They're using image recognition to choose candidate targets which are then passed to humans. Seems like an obvious thing to do.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, you can say that until it's the cops doing exactly that to you and yours... 🤬

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What do you mean? Are you confusing using imagine recognition to find candidate targets with things like facial recognition and/or unrestrained AI?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Don't play dumb; profiling is at the core of all those tools, and human bias taints each of them. To insinuate that simply by syntactical difference, the police aren't intrinsically, murderously bigoted, is either naive AF or bootlickin'. Which is it?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For context, we have had machines that autonomously decide when to kill for awhile now: mines.

It is good to see the machines getting an upgrade so they are more selective about their targets.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The more selective we convince ourselves our weapons are, the more willing we are to use them in conflicts where civilians are put at risk—our use of weapons is constrained by the level of collateral damage we’re willing to take responsibility for, and by distancing ourselves from that responsibility, AI allows us to escalate conflicts until civilians are at even greater risk. It’s the Jevons paradox, with human life instead of gasoline.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It depends on how well trained your FM is, really. AI/ML is already better than humans at things like cancer diagnoses and such, so there's really no reason to think that using it in this instance would create more of a risk to civilians than a human operator.

Most people's experience with AI is ChatGPT or similar, but ChatGPT really isn't a very good LLM. Plus, an LLM is only as good as your prompt engineering.

All that being said, there should always be a human double checking the targets in order to catch hallucinations.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The issue behind the Jevons effect isn’t that the technology in question doesn’t work as advertised—it’s that, by reducing the negative consequences associated with a decision, people become increasingly willing to make that decision until the aggregate negative consequences more than cancel out the effect of the “improvement”.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

There's really no reason to think this technology will be victim to the Jevons paradox. These strikes are already happening remotely, and if AI/ML can better discern targets vs civilians there's absolutely no reason to think civilian casualties will increase because of it.

That's like saying using AI/ML to screen for cancer will result in more people dying from cancer.

You're trying to apply an economical theory about the consumption of finite resources to a completely unrelated field/sector.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hilariously short sighted. What are they gonna train the AI on? All the drone strikes where they didn't hit any bystanders? I think they're gonna need more than the 15 or so data points that gets us.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Simple, just redefine "combatant" to mean "any male person of roughly adult age". Problem solved, no more non combatant kills /s

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I thought this had been going on for awhile now with computers identifying potential targets:

"The object recognition algorithms are used to identify potential targets. Humans then operate weapons systems. The US has reportedly used the software to identify enemy rockets, missiles, drones, and militia facilities."

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I suppose it was the human intervention that made them consistently mistake unarmed civilians for enemy combatants - what could possibly go wrong with this approach?

I was going to ask who gets charged with the warcrimes when a computer bombs a wedding, but that's not likely to change when the current answer is "nobody" or perhaps "the journalists that reported on it."

Finally, did the biggest AI vendor's primary product inexplicably shit the bed like a week ago? Yes? Oh no...

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I for one, welcome our Terminator overlords.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Skynet v.02

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

All you people commenting ignorantly without reading the article or knowing anything about the subject.

The AI isn't making any decisions. It's being used to help identify targets, which are then acted upon--or not--by humans.

This isn't the big, scary thing you're all making it out to be.

The object recognition algorithms are used to identify potential targets. Humans then operate weapons systems. The US has reportedly used the software to identify enemy rockets, missiles, drones, and militia facilities.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

You may also like: Black Mirror - Metalhead

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

This is the original source article incase anyone wants to read it. It comes from a Bloomberg interview with the CTO of Central Command

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I hope they taught those things the difference between a military base and a hospital or wedding this time

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

I always describe the birth and development of AI is like a trailer park trash couple that never finished grade school, highly religious and believe in ghosts and fairies that have a new baby.

We're terrible parents that probably shouldn't have children yet we have one that is growing fast and by the time it is fully mature, it will be way more powerful and capable than we are .... but it will have the morals and ethics that it's parents taught it.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Without an international arms treaty in regards to AI, that was inevitable.

The only hope now is to get to a point where the drones just fight each other and leave people alone.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Lol, like the US would pay attention to an international arms treaty.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Screamers is more likely I think

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Well I can’t see how that could go wrong. Automated targeting should be the standard for releasing flying death robots.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They're using the AI to identify the targets which are then reviewed by a human.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The US isn't the only ones doing it and we're not even doing the most of it. Ukraine is doing it and they're deploying literally thousands of drones per day.

Using AI for target identification and prioritization is actually an upgrade from doing it with a bunch of over-worked and hyper-caffeinated meatsacks.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Fantastic, now all the blame for human collateral will be placed on AI instead of humans.

Truly a world changing innovation.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Hey uh, wtf?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How long before the AI decides the best way to stop the war is to bomb the generals ordering it on both sides?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago
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