A new book from a leading defense analyst discusses the role artificial intelligence (AI) will play going forward in warfare.
The Problem
Modern warfare has changed since the World War II. The victor of the day now belongs to those with the best data, who can gather and utilize the best information and deploy it in service of autonomous drones, long-range weaponry, and espionage.
As AI grows more extensive and more powerful, it will only continue to evolve and obtain an outsized role in military operations going forward.
Paul Scharre is the director of studies at the Center for a New American Security and a former leader at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Defense. He is also the author of the 2018 book Army Of None: Autonomous Weapons And the Future of War.
In his newest book, Four Battlegrounds: Power In the Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Scharre discusses the ways AI is going to play out in the future of warfare and how nations like China will use the technology to their advantage.
“Engaging and direct, Four Battlegrounds offers a vivid picture of how AI is transforming warfare, global security, and the future of human freedom―and what it will take for democracies to remain at the forefront of the world order,” says the publisher.
What The Critics Are Saying
“The author identifies four crucial areas: data collection, computing hardware, talent, and institutions. Currently, the U.S. holds the lead, but it is steadily deteriorating. Scharre delves deeply into each area, noting that fundamental differences between authoritarian China and democratic U.S. China’s government-driven model provides unity of purpose and unlimited funding but restricts innovation,” says Kirkus Reviews.
“It is difficult to know whether to feel confident or disturbed by all this information, but Scharre effectively shows where military AI currently stands and where it is going.”
Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence will be published on February 28, 2023, by W. W. Norton & Company.