The age of AI warfare has dawned.
asserted
age → dawn → warfare
Russia has reportedly already used autonomous drones to deadly effect in Ukraine
The drone looks like a small fighter jet.
uncertain
drone → use → jet
Artificial Intelligence is flying it, and it's firing a missile.
asserted
it → fly → missile
A human approved the shot, but AI carried it out.
asserted
AI → approve → it
In July, American defence company Anduril's YFQ-44A drone, known as Fury, fired an air-to-air tactical missile at a simulated target in California's Mojave Desert.
asserted
drone → know → Desert
In October, a pilot in an F-22 fighter jet was able to get the drone to carry out simulated combat tasks.
asserted
drone → get → tasks
It's the latest step in the global race for autonomous weapons as armies try to gain a tactical edge.
asserted
armies → try → edge
With governments increasingly integrating AI into military software and hardware, Canada faces a question: should it join the autonomous arms race and start investing more in AI-enhanced weapons despite legal and ethical concerns?
asserted
it → integrate → concerns
'AI in a platform that is deadly'
YFQ-44A is a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), designed to fly alongside manned fighter jets.
asserted
YFQ-44A → design → jets
It's meant to extend the jet's reach, while reducing risk to the pilot.
asserted
It → mean → pilot
The drone would use AI to carry out many fighter jet tasks, including firing weapons on command and eventually engaging in close aerial combat.
asserted
drone → use → combat
"You're getting artificial intelligence in a platform that is deadly," said Yvan Blondin, who commanded the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2012 to 2015.
asserted
who → get → 2015
Ottawa drone makers tool up for increased defence budget
As Canadian defence spending ramps up, London firms excited about opportunities
Blondin believes these drones will become integral to modern militaries by the 2030s.
asserted
drones → tool → 2030s
The U.S. has two prototypes, including Fury.
asserted
U.S. → have → Fury
Australia has a Boeing-built CCA — and they're working on an underwater version built by Anduril.
asserted
they → have → Anduril
The U.K. is spending five billion pounds to boost drones and autonomous systems in their military.
asserted
U.K. → spend → military
Western armies say humans will stay in control and responsible for weapons using lethal force: it's part of NATO's policy on responsible use of AI.
asserted
it → say → AI
Canadian officials told CBC that warfare must stay a fundamentally human endeavour, and said that no machine, weapons systems or algorithmic code can be held responsible for complying with International Humanitarian Law.
asserted
machine → tell → Law
But Blondin says other adversaries may not wait.
uncertain
adversaries → say → ?
If one country uses autonomous AI in a conflict, Blondin wonders how other countries would respond — would they raise their ethical standards, or drop them entirely?
asserted
they → use → them
"In times of war, would China bother with the step of having a human in the loop?" he asked.
asserted
he → bother → loop
In a statement sent to CBC News, the Department of National Defence said the Royal Canadian Air Force is examining how these systems could be useful for Canada, but that no decision has been made about plans to procure CCAs.
uncertain
decision → send → CCAs
The Canadian Armed Forces supports the development of autonomous functionality, the statement said, on the condition that it would be "operated within a responsible chain of human command and control and commits to uphold the reliable and lawful use of such weapon systems.
asserted
it → support → systems
"
Military commander vows fast action on AI and robots, sees 'untapped potential' for Canada
In Canada's drone-killing 'Sandbox,' companies compete for a $1M prize
asserted
companies → vow → prize
Canada has no collaborative combat aircraft, but Dominion Dynamics CEO Eliot Pence wants to change that.
asserted
Pence → have → that
His defence technology company is building Scout, a CCA that would fly ahead of a crewed fighter, three or four drones per jet, beyond the radar's edge — and be able to strike by firing a weapon, like a missile.
asserted
that → build → missile
Dominion Dynamics CEO Eliot Pence stands in front of a subscale model of Scout, a collaborative combat aircraft that the Canadian defence technology company is building.
asserted
company → stand → that
Scout would fly ahead of a crewed fighter beyond the edge of its radar and be able to strike by firing a weapon, like a missile.
asserted
Scout → fly → missile
Pence, who previously worked at Anduril, says the need for CCA is about sovereignty, especially over the Arctic, which makes up about 40 per cent of Canada.
asserted
which → work → Canada
The country doesn't have the fighter jets to cover all that territory, Pence argues, noting that leaves a gap in Canada's ability to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — a gap Dominion is trying to fill.
asserted
Dominion → have → intelligence
"The best, most efficient and technologically advanced way of doing that is by pairing those jets with autonomous systems."
asserted
way → do → systems
Dominion stands to benefit if Ottawa buys in.
asserted
Ottawa → stand → ?
Pence says he's raised about a third of the $500 million needed to build the prototype, and though Ottawa has bought into Dominion's simulation platform, there's no government contract for a prototype.
"
asserted
Ottawa → say → prototype
We don't care.
asserted
We → care → ?
We're going to build it anyway."
asserted
We → go → it
Building in boundaries
Pence says Dominion wants a human to remain the last decision maker for the drone, and is building that boundary into the decision-making of its AI models.
asserted
human → build → models
But they have yet to figure out what, specifically, all those safeguards would be, says Benoit Breault, senior vice-president for aerospace engineering at Dominion.
asserted
Breault → have → Dominion
Some boundaries are straightforward, Breault says — for example, any use of force will require human approval.
asserted
use → say → approval
Benoit Breault, senior vice-president for aerospace engineering at Dominion, is working on safeguards to make sure a human is the last decision maker for the drone they want to build.
asserted
they → work → drone
Other boundaries may seem less critical at first blush, but can become unexpectedly dangerous.
uncertain
boundaries → seem → blush
…and 26 more, not listed.
The Aporia
