The US Department of Defense said it has formally adopted the “ethical principles” of using artificial intelligence (AI) in the arms industry.

“The use of artificial intelligence will significantly change the nature of future armed conflicts, but nothing will change the American unwavering commitment to responsible and law-abiding behavior. Acceptance of ethical principles of using AI will strengthen the ministry’s desire to maintain the highest moral standards enshrined in the US Department of Defense’s strategy for artificial intelligence, ”said Pentagon Press Secretary Mark Asper.

It is assumed that the Pentagon will be guided by five basic principles when using artificial intelligence in the military sphere: “responsibility”, “objectivity”, “controllability”, “reliability” and “controllability”.

According to the US Defense Ministry, the "ethical framework existing in the US Armed Forces" will form the basis of the "ethical principles" of using artificial intelligence in the military sphere.

"(They. - RT ) are based on the United States Constitution, section 10 of the United States Code, the Guidelines (on the US Department of Defense. - RT ) on the rules of warfare, existing international treaties and established norms and values," the defense department said in a statement.

The Pentagon explains the need to follow such "ethical principles" in that "the use of AI leads to the emergence of new controversial and potentially dangerous ethical issues."

As Eric Schmidt, Chairman of the Council for Defense Innovation, noted, the creation of a set of such “ethical principles” shows the world that Washington will actively participate in monitoring the activities of other countries in the use of artificial intelligence.

  • American military
  • Flickr
  • © US Department of Defense

“Absolutely useless”

As noted by an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies Vladimir Bruter, the Pentagon’s statement of “ethical principles” is “a simple and uncomplicated continuation of the hegemonic policy that the United States pursues in all directions.”

“This has nothing to do with democracy. All this just says that the United States is again trying to create some kind of system that will work on the principle of "high likly." At the same time, Washington will impose it on everyone and determine who violates it and how, ”the analyst said in a conversation with RT.

Bruther also emphasized that no “ethical principles” can protect humanity from the threats posed by artificial intelligence.

“There is only one way - the use of such technologies in a measure that is rational and with a sense that Washington is not always capable of,” the expert noted.

Andrei Sidorov, head of the department of international organizations and world political processes at the Moscow State University’s Faculty of World Politics, in turn, claims that the Pentagon compiled such a list of “ethical principles” “exclusively for propaganda purposes”.

“In this way, Washington is trying to convince its own population, as well as other countries of the world, that US activation in the field of using artificial intelligence in the arms sector is in line with moral and ethical principles,” the analyst said in an interview with RT.

  • US military
  • © US Army Cyber ​​Command

At the same time, Sidorov emphasized that “by themselves” the principles developed by the American side are “absolutely useless” because they are “vague”.

“They do not even contain any moral and ethical burden, not to mention the legal one. Based on these provisions, it does not become clear who and how will be punished if artificial intelligence, for example, is used against a person, against individual states. It seems to me that the Americans themselves do not understand this, ”the expert emphasized.

Desire to expedite implementation

At the same time, the head of the Pentagon, talking about "ethical principles", also stated the need to increase the speed of AI implementation.

“The United States, together with our allies and partners, should accelerate the introduction of artificial intelligence and use it more actively for national security purposes, in order to maintain our strategic positions, win the battlefields of the future and defend the rule-based international order,” said Mark Esper.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the Pentagon has made a statement about the need to accelerate the introduction of artificial intelligence in the military sphere. Moreover, the pretext for such changes is often the “Russian threat”.

So, in early November 2019, Mark Esper accused Moscow of being ready to use artificial intelligence systems “against democratic countries”.

“We expect Russia to use increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence systems in current and future war zones,” the US Secretary of Defense said during a conference on artificial intelligence in Washington.

Esper also emphasized that the United States needs to prevent the dominance of “authoritarian” countries in this area. According to the head of the Pentagon, against the backdrop of threats from Moscow and Beijing, the American side should increase its advantage in the field of artificial intelligence.

“The country that will first reap the benefits of artificial intelligence will receive a decisive advantage on the battlefield for many years to come. We must come to this first, ”the minister said.

However, the Russian side has repeatedly stated that it develops technology in the military field exclusively for defensive purposes.

“Russia wants to have full, equal and friendly relations with the United States. Russia does not threaten anyone, and all our security actions are exclusively retaliatory, and therefore defensive. We are not interested in confrontation and do not want it, ”said Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2019 during the annual message to the Federal Assembly.

Recall, on February 11, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a decree on enhancing the development of artificial intelligence in the United States. According to the document, Washington will encourage the development of technical standards in this area, as well as reduce barriers to the safe testing and implementation of AI technology. In addition, the decree notes that it is necessary to strengthen public confidence in the use of artificial intelligence, as well as to master this niche in the world market.

The day after the publication of this decree of the head of the White House, the Pentagon published a short outline of the strategy for using artificial intelligence, which is aimed, in particular, to counteract the Russian Federation and China in this area. It is indicated that the investments of these countries in the development of artificial intelligence “threaten to undermine the technological and operational advantages” of the United States, as well as “destabilize a free and open international order”.

  • Pentagon Head Mark Esper
  • © US Department of Defense

After the publication of this strategy, the Pentagon has really stepped up in the field of introducing artificial intelligence into the military sphere, experts say.

This, in particular, is indicated by the spring application for research by the US Army Department, the text of which was reviewed by RT. It indicates that the Pentagon plans to explore the potential for maneuvering systems with artificial intelligence and the possibility of their joint work with the military “in the face of an equal potential enemy.”

“Threat to world security”

According to analysts, the actions of the American side to develop artificial intelligence technologies for military purposes "may pose a threat to world security."

“Washington will soon begin to implement such technologies everywhere. However, the overactive use of artificial intelligence in armaments is a particular danger, ”says Vladimir Bruter.

According to him, if "the functions of a person are excessively transferred to a machine, artificial intelligence can behave unpredictably and become uncontrollable."

“After all, no one knows how he will prove himself in the current situation,” the expert emphasized.

At the same time, Andrei Sidorov points out that the situation is exacerbated by the fact that the “problem of using artificial intelligence” has not been fully studied even in the scientific field.

“When nuclear weapons were developed, they were developed with good goals, and ultimately became a horror story for the whole world. Artificial intelligence technologies can repeat the same fate, ”the analyst noted.

Vladimir Bruter, in turn, emphasized that ethical rules are unlikely to limit the US in any way in the use of artificial intelligence, since Washington "has never adhered to ethical rules in the military sphere."

“The US is simply not used to it. But among those who want to plant their will with “soft” or “hard” power, they are the first, ”the expert concluded.