The Associated Press reports:
As tensions between the two countries intensify, U.S. and Chinese military planners are developing a new kind of warfare in which air and sea drone squadrons powered by artificial intelligence work together like a swarm of bees to overwhelm the enemy. Preparations are underway. Planners envision scenarios where hundreds or even thousands of machines work together in combat. One controller may be able to monitor dozens of drones. Some scout, others attack. Some may be able to pivot to a new goal mid-mission based on prior programming rather than direct command.
The world's only AI superpower is engaged in a swarm-drone arms race reminiscent of the Cold War, but drone technology is much harder to contain than nuclear weapons. Because software controls the drones' swarm capabilities, it could be relatively easy and cheap for rogue states and extremists to acquire their own fleets of killer robots. The Pentagon is pushing ahead with the urgent development of cheap, disposable drones as a deterrent to China's territorial claims over Taiwan. The US government insists it has no choice but to align itself with China. Chinese officials say the emergence of AI-powered weapons is inevitable and that China needs to have them as well.
Margarita Konayev, an analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technologies, said the unchecked spread of swarm technology “could spark further instability and conflict around the world.”
According to the article, “A 2023 Georgetown study on AI-related military spending found that more than one-third of known contracts issued by military agencies in both the United States and China during eight months of 2020 were for intelligent unmanned systems. It turned out that it was…”
“Military analysts, drone manufacturers and AI researchers don't expect it to take five years or so to deploy a fully capable, combat-ready swarm, but major advances will happen much sooner. there is a possibility.”
