05 Jun AI in Defence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is moving rapidly and looks set to transform aspects of our lives, including defence. The use of AI in the military has gained momentum in recent years, with the technology being integrated into several key aspects of defence operations, and like the development of technology for use in space that we have looked at in recent articles, some of them will have more peaceful benefits.

Predictive Maintenance: The military uses a vast array of complex machinery and equipment, and AI can help predict when maintenance is required to keep these machines running efficiently. By predicting maintenance requirements, the military can reduce downtime and improve operational efficiency. The US Army has been an early adopter of AI in this area, starting on its helicopters in 2005. They believe that predictive maintenance has prevented at least one potentially catastrophic failure. This technology is now being rolled out into civilian aviation by Lufthansa Technik, United Airlines, and Singapore’s ST Engineering.

Surveillance and Reconnaissance: A common use of AI in the military is in surveillance and reconnaissance. AI-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, can gather real-time data on enemy movements and activities, providing crucial intelligence to military commanders. Using machine learning algorithms to recognise patterns and predict potential threats, drones can also be used for precisely targeted strikes against enemy positions, reducing the risk of civilian casualties.

Decision Making: AI’s potential application in the military for assisting decision-making is a significant development. AI technology can process vast amounts of data, analyse complex patterns, and provide insights that can aid military decision-makers. AI-powered simulations can help commanders test different scenarios, assess potential threats, and develop strategies for responding to those threats.

Cybersecurity: As cyber threats become ever more sophisticated, the military is turning to AI to help defend against them. AI can detect and respond to cyber threats faster than humans, reducing the risk of a successful attack. The pattern recognition and predictive capabilities of AI assisted cybersecurity systems can learn from previous attacks, making them more effective each time the encounter a new scenario.

Many aspects of AI use in the defence sector can be controversial with possible ethical and legal concerns. However, in a recent article on AI and Cybercrime in Forbes, Hari Ravichandran pointed out that “it is important to recognise that while the intersection of cybersecurity and AI has recently focused on the negative implications of the technology, it’s worth reminding ourselves that AI can also be used to help protect us.” Pattern recognition, continuous monitoring and especially its ability to “help identify false positives, which is a major challenge for human analysts. This not only reduces the burden on human analysts but also makes threat detection and analysis more accurate and efficient”.

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