Israeli military accused of using AI tool called Lavender to automate targeting in Gaza, resulting in errors and civilian casualties. The podcast explores the ethical concerns and efficiency of AI in warfare, highlighting challenges in automated target selection and the impact on civilians. The use of AI in military operations to target Hamas militants raises questions about proportionality in strikes and the need for a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
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Quick takeaways
Israel uses AI to target potential threats in Gaza with an error rate of 10%
Automated systems like Lavender and 'Where's Daddy' raise ethical concerns over targeting civilians
Deep dives
Lavender: An AI-Powered Tool for Target Identification
Lavender, an AI-based human target machine reportedly used by Israel, scans information from Palestinians, rates individuals from one to 100 based on features indicating links to Hamas, and flags potential targets. Despite a 10% error rate, it marked 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza for potential assassination, a significant increase from previous operations targeting senior Hamas commanders. This automated system intends to streamline target identification but has raised concerns over civilian casualties and the unprecedented scale of potential targets.
Where's Daddy: Automating Strikes on Homes
In addition to Lavender, Israel allegedly uses 'Where's Daddy,' an automated system that tracks targets entering their homes for strikes. This system targets individuals at their residences, aiming to link targets to personal locations easily. The policy of targeting homes led to a high number of civilian casualties, especially in households, creating a significant impact on the demographics of the casualties in Gaza.
Ethical Concerns and Long-Term Security Implications
The use of AI-driven tools like Lavender and Where's Daddy has raised ethical and security concerns. Reports suggest predetermined collateral damage rates for low-ranking Hamas militants, resulting in civilian deaths. Officers defend the automation citing emotional detachment and efficiency, but the significant civilian casualties highlight the dangers of reliance on AI in warfare. Reflecting on the implications, the conversation underscores the need for a political solution, emphasizing equal rights and a vision for a peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Israeli military has been using an artificial intelligence tool to identify human targets for bombing in Gaza, according to a new investigation by Israeli outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call.
Intelligence sources cited in the report allege that the AI system, called Lavender, at one stage identified 37,000 potential targets — and that approximately 10 per cent of those targets were marked in error. The sources also allege that in the early weeks of the war, the army authorized an unprecedented level of “collateral damage” — that is, civilians killed — for each target marked by Lavender.
The investigation was also shared with the Guardian newspaper, which published their own in-depth reporting.
Israel disputes and denies several parts of the investigation.
Today, the investigation’s reporter, Yuval Abraham, joins us to explain his findings.
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