What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future If You Give A.I. a Nuke
5 snips
Nov 30, 2025 
Josh Keating, a senior correspondent focused on foreign policy and national security, delves into the complex intertwining of AI and nuclear weapons policy. He highlights how AI is already embedded in military operations, from predictive maintenance to potential automated retaliation. The discussion raises concerns about automation biases and the opacity of AI, especially regarding critical nuclear decisions. Keating warns of an impending AI arms race influenced by U.S.-China dynamics and emphasizes the need for human oversight in an era where nuclear threats are reshaping global security.
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Near Miss: 1979 False Alarm
- Zbigniew Brzezinski nearly woke President Carter in 1979 after a false alarm of 220 missiles fired from Soviet submarines.
- The panic ended when a defective chip was identified and the alert was rescinded.
Petrov's Pause Prevented War
- Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov in the Soviet Union waited during an apparent U.S. missile detection and avoided immediate retaliation.
- His decision to verify a computer signal averted what could have become full-scale nuclear exchange.
Nuclear Systems Are Surprisingly Low-Tech
- Much of the U.S. nuclear command and control remains surprisingly low-tech, with upgrades only recently underway.
- As AI is added, it may be hard to separate where humans must decide and where machines advise.