ChinaTalk Second Breakfast: Gaza, SOUTHCOM, AI Nuke Analogies Stink, Generals Using AI (with M. Horowitz and L. Kahn!)
Oct 17, 2025
Michael Horowitz, a former DoD official and current Penn expert on military technology, joins Lauren Kahn, a defense policy researcher at CSET. They delve into the complexities of AI in military operations, discussing its governance challenges and the pitfalls of drawing nuclear analogies. The conversation examines the transformative potential of AI, the nuances of its application in military workflows, and how historical lessons can inform current technology adoption. Ethical considerations and the impact of automation bias also feature prominently in this thought-provoking dialogue.
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Episode notes
Nuke Analogies Mislead AI Policy
- AI and nuclear weapons are superficially comparable because both feel world-changing.
- Michael C. Horowitz warns the technologies are fundamentally different and require different governance approaches.
AI Competition Is A Marathon
- There is no single bottleneck like enriched uranium for AI; chips and hardware matter but do not create an immutable constraint.
- Horowitz argues AI competition is a marathon, not a winner-take-all sprint to a finish line.
Reuse Governance From Other GPTs
- Study governance models used for other general-purpose technologies like telecoms and electricity.
- Horowitz recommends adapting those institutions rather than copying nuclear arms-control frameworks.
