Session
Organizer 1: Rosanna Fanni, 🔒
Organizer 2: Fernando Giancotti, Center for Defense Higher Studies, Rome
Organizer 3: Paula Gürtler, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
Speaker 1: Rosanna Fanni, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Fernando Giancotti, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Pete Furlong, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Shimona Mohan, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Rosanna Fanni, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Paula Gürtler, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Paula Gürtler, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Panel - 60 Min
A. What opportunities, challenges and risks arise from the use of AI and other emerging technologies in warfare? B. How should governments balance the need for security with a responsibility toward ethical uses of AI and other emerging technologies? C. What kind of universal ethical principles should underpin the development and deployment of AI and other emerging technologies used by the military?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants can gain valuable insights, knowledge, and perspectives on the topic of AI and emerging technologies in warfare, and pressing ethical considerations: • Enhanced Awareness – of the transformative potential of AI and emerging technologies in warfare, and of risks. • Expert Insights – four expert speakers with diverse backgrounds and practical expertise, participants can learn from their experiences, research, and analysis. • Policy Discussions – important policy questions will stimulate meaningful discussions among participants, who can gain a broader perspective on the complexities and nuances of AI and emerging technologies in defence. • Networking and Collaboration – fellow attendees, who share a common interest, can exchange ideas, experiences, insights, fostering collaboration and potential partnerships for future initiatives / research. • Influence and Impact – contribute to shaping the discussions and outcomes of the session by engaging in Q&A, share perspectives, ask questions.
Description:
We propose a session that will delve into the opportunities, challenges, and risks arising from the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies in warfare. The session will explore the current state of development and deployment of AI and emerging technologies in the military, and spark a debate on what universal ethical principles should apply for their use in this highly critical context. Our session further aims to foster discussions on how governments can strike a balance between security concerns and ethical considerations in the use of these technologies. Whether it is Palantir’s ChatGPT-like AI platform for military decision-making, Clearview’s facial recognition systems to identify enemies, or autonomous drones deliberately used as lethal weapons systems: AI and emerging technologies redefine warfare. Also in the war in Ukraine, leveraging AI and robotics technology has provided the country with a strategic advantage. However, the debate over the responsible use of technology in those contexts is, unlike for the civilian domain, formative at best. On a political level, governments increasingly engage in the critical questions around AI used in and for the military. Canada, Australia, the U.S. and the UK already established guidelines for the responsible use of AI, and NATO adopted its own AI Strategy in 2021. But many nations are left without guidance when it comes to the responsible use of AI and other emerging technologies. This session will combine findings from recent research reports on the topic to discuss key issues in the ongoing use of AI and emerging technology in warfare with a broad audience.
Session Outcomes: A - Raising awareness of the opportunities, challenges and risks from AI and other emerging technology on the future of warfare and international peace more broadly B – Providing a platform for all stakeholders to C – Deliberate on broad ethical principles that should underpin the development and deployment of AI and emerging technology in the context of defence Specific Outcomes: A – Report summarising the session. It will be shared online with IGF participants and stakeholders. B – Promotion of reports and other policy-related initiatives in Brussels, Italy and London C – Further develop the defined ethical principles to feed in into a global task force for diversity in military AI.
Hybrid Format: One team member will act as “online delegate” to report the online audience experience to the onsite team. This person will also monitor the chat and communicate interventions to the onsite team in real time via an internal chat to ensure that online attendees actively are included in the session. The online and the on-site moderator will conduct a test session beforehand and will alternate during the actual event based on a detailed run sheet specifying speaking responsibilities and interaction ahead of the session. In addition to the IGF videoconferencing platform's chat function, we engage speakers and attendees with the audience engagement tool Sli.do through an instant polling. All speakers will additionally use Twitter during the session to share quotes and reply to participants’ posts, comments and threads.