Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt stressed that artificial intelligence-powered drones represent the future of warfare while emphasizing the crucial need for human oversight to prevent autonomous weapons from operating independently.
What Happened: Speaking to PBS on Friday, Schmidt called the traditional deployment of armed forces on battlefields "antiquated" and outlined his vision for AI-networked drone warfare with "meaningful human control."
"The correct model, and obviously war is horrific, is to have the people well behind and have the weapons well up front, and have them networked and controlled by AI," Schmidt said. "The future of war is AI, networked drones of many different kinds."
Schmidt's comments come as his drone startup White Stork supplies Ukraine with unmanned aircraft in its conflict with Russia. At a Stanford lecture in August, Schmidt acknowledged his transition to becoming a "licensed arms dealer" through the venture.
In 2018, thousands of Google employees protested the company's involvement in Project Maven, a Pentagon AI program potentially enhancing drone strike targeting, arguing it contradicts Google's "Don't Be Evil" ethos and risks damaging its brand, according to The New York Times.
Why It Matters: The push for AI warfare capabilities has gained urgency amid growing concerns about U.S. military readiness. In a previous Foreign Affairs article, Schmidt and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley warned that American forces remain unprepared for drone-dominated conflicts, particularly against potential adversaries like China and Russia.
Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser pick, warned Sunday on CBS News' Face the Nation about "gaps in our agencies" amid mysterious drone sightings across multiple U.S. states. He advocated expanding Israel's Iron Dome concept to include drone defense capabilities.
Elon Musk, Trump's choice to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, strongly criticized traditional military programs, particularly Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 fighter jets. "Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35," Musk posted on X while sharing footage of synchronized drone swarms.
谷歌前首席執行官埃裏克·施密特強調,人工智能驅動的無人機代表着戰爭的未來,同時強調迫切需要進行人工監督,以防止自主武器獨立運行。
發生了什麼:施密特週五在接受PBS採訪時稱傳統的戰場部署武裝部隊 「過時」,並概述了他對具有 「有意義的人爲控制」 的人工智能網絡無人機作戰的願景。
施密特說:「正確的模式,顯然戰爭是可怕的,是讓人們遠遠落後,提前準備好武器,並讓它們聯網並由人工智能控制。」「戰爭的未來是人工智能,許多不同種類的聯網無人機。」
施密特發表評論之際,他的無人機初創公司White Stork在烏克蘭與俄羅斯的衝突中向烏克蘭提供無人駕駛飛機。在八月份的斯坦福大學演講中,施密特承認自己通過該合資企業向 「持牌軍火商」 過渡。
據《紐約時報》報道,2018年有數萬谷歌員工抗議該公司參與Project Maven,這是一項五角大樓的人工智能計劃,有可能增強無人機襲擊的目標,認爲這與谷歌的 「不要成爲邪惡」 的精神相矛盾,有可能損害其品牌。
爲何重要:由於人們越來越擔心美國的軍事準備狀態,推動人工智能作戰能力變得越來越緊迫。施密特和前參謀長聯席會議主席馬克·米利在先前的《外交事務》文章中警告說,美軍仍未爲無人機主導的衝突做好準備,特別是針對中國和俄羅斯等潛在對手的衝突。
當選總統唐納德·特朗普推選的國家安全顧問邁克·華爾茲週日在哥倫比亞廣播公司新聞的 「面對國家」 上警告說,在美國多個州目擊神祕的無人機事件中,「我們的機構存在漏洞」。他主張擴大以色列的鐵穹概念,將無人機防禦能力包括在內。
特朗普選擇共同領導政府效率部的埃隆·馬斯克強烈批評了傳統的軍事計劃,特別是洛克希德·馬丁公司。”s F-35 戰鬥機。馬斯克在分享同步無人機群的鏡頭時在X上發帖說:「同時,一些白癡仍在建造像F-35這樣的載人戰鬥機。」