On Thursday, the U.S. State Department issued a Political Declaration on the Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy, calling for the ethical and responsible deployment of AI in military operations among the nations that developed it. rice field. The document defines 12 best practices for developing military AI capabilities and emphasizes human accountability.
The declaration coincides with the time when the United States will participate in the International Summit on Responsible Use of Military AI in The Hague, Netherlands. Reuters called the conference “the first of its kind.” At the summit, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Bonnie Jenkins said, “We call on all nations to participate in the implementation of international norms as they relate to military development and the use of AI.”
In its preamble, the US declaration outlines that an increasing number of countries are developing military AI capabilities that may involve the use of autonomous systems. This trend has raised concerns about the potential risks of using such technology, especially with respect to compliance with international humanitarian law.
Military uses of AI are and should be ethical, responsible and enhance international security. The use of AI in armed conflict must comply with applicable international humanitarian law, including its basic principles. Military uses of AI capabilities must be accountable, including use during military operations within responsible human command and control. A principled approach to military use of AI requires careful consideration of risks and benefits, as well as minimizing unintentional bias and accidents. Countries should take appropriate measures to ensure the responsible development, deployment, and use of military AI capabilities, including those that enable autonomous systems.
The 12 best practices described in this document touch on nuclear weapons safety, responsible system design, personnel training, and audit methodologies for military AI capabilities. The document also emphasizes the need to minimize unintended bias and accidents and the importance of testing to ensure the safety and effectiveness of military AI functions.
This document contains some notable examples of keeping responsible humans in the chain of command with respect to autonomous systems, especially with regard to nuclear weapons. .”
We also discussed the unintended behavior of AI in military systems. This is a recent concern with consumer deep learning systems. “States release or deactivate capabilities to detect and avoid unintended consequences and deployed systems exhibiting unintended behavior.”
The document does not specify the exact types of autonomous or AI-powered systems covered by the declaration, but a footnote provides an understanding of the term, as there is no universal definition of “artificial intelligence”. The document states, “For the purposes of this declaration, artificial intelligence may be understood to refer to the ability of machines to perform tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence. For example, pattern It is awareness, learning from experience, drawing conclusions, predicting, and taking action, whether digitally or as the smart software behind autonomous physical systems.”
Also on Thursday, more than 60 countries signed a “call to action” supporting the responsible military use of AI. According to a Reuters report, human rights experts and academics say the statement is not legally binding and that “AI-guided drones, ‘genocidal robots’ that can kill without human intervention, or AI failed to address concerns such as the risk of escalating military conflict.” .”
A complete declaration document, prepared under the authority of the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, is available on the U.S. Department of State website.
