Debate on AI’s military use has intensified, initially with regard to (lethal) autonomous weapon systems. Autonomous weapon systems independently select, prioritize, and engage targets, making them lethal when humans are targeted. Emerging around 2010, debates around these weapon systems can now be found in the UN Weapons Convention and the UN General Assembly. However, for too long critics of autonomous weapons narrowed the focus of debate to just two critical elements: target selection and engagement. This only changed recently with a debate focusing on the broader “reliability” of military AI and related pledges or national (military) AI strategies. While both the scope and capabilities of AI in military contexts are still being discussed, increasingly AI is being quietly implemented in seemingly non-critical military domains. While militaries celebrate this for gains in efficiency and application in seemingly benign roles and functions, it raises serious arms control policy questions, especially regarding the acceleration of warfare and the erosion of human control. While accepting states’ interest in the use of military AI, debates on the stability and security implications of widespread AI ought to intensify, while also extending their focus to questions beyond the ethical or legal.
Bibliographic record
Schörnig, N. (2025). Warfare at Machine Speed: The Growing Use of AI in the Military. In: Göttsche, M.; Reis, K. & Daase, C. (Eds.). New Realities of AI in Global Security. CNTR Monitor – Technology and Arms Control 2025. PRIF – Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.
Author
Dr. Niklas Schörnig
