Angry Planet The Horror of AI Generals Making Command Decisions
May 28, 2025
Bleddyn Bowen, an associate professor of astropolitics with expertise in war studies, and Cameron Hunter, a postdoctoral researcher specializing in China's military, dissect the troubling concept of AI generals in warfare. They argue that the narrow capabilities of AI make it ill-suited for complex command decisions. The conversation critiques the misconceptions about military tech, the folly of relying on AI for strategy, and emphasizes the necessity of human judgment in combat. Their insights highlight the limitations of automated systems in grasping the chaotic nature of war.
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Narrow AI Can't Command Armies
- AI systems pitched as battlefield commanders are mostly narrow AIs focused on tasks like pattern recognition.
- Military AI advisors like Palantir's dashboard do not possess true command decision-making capabilities.
Limits of AI in Real War
- War involves immeasurable factors like human emotion, chance, and friction that AI cannot quantify.
- Historical military data don't capture the unpredictable nature of real battles, limiting AI utility.
Fallacy of The Last Move
- Building advanced defenses like the U.S. missile shield ignores vital geopolitical consequences.
- Adversaries always react, making seemingly decisive moves like missile defense vulnerable to countermeasures.
