“New Forms of Domination and Oppression”
Just what we need: autonomous killer drone swarms powered by algorithms and AI.
Part 3 of the excellent Al Jazeera documentary The Business of War focuses on Israel’s use of killer drones in Gaza. The trend is toward “fully autonomous weapons”—drone swarms that rely on algorithms to identify targets to hit and humans to kill. Officially, a human is still supposed to make the final decision to strike, but in some cases the operator has only 20 seconds to give a “go” or “no go.” And, let’s be honest, the system drives operators toward “go.”
The documentary is especially powerful in showing the devastation in Gaza (images of Stalingrad in World War II come to mind), the deliberate killing of journalists (a war crime), and how drones are used not just for killing but as tools of intimidation and control.
Images of AI-enabled drone swarms chasing and killing people recall scenes from the Terminator films. But as the documentary notes, the danger right now isn’t some future Skynet—it’s how these drones have already emerged as “new forms of domination and oppression.”
Almost as troubling is the military-corporate fusion as these drone swarms are supported by “cloud” resources supplied by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. A new conceit boasts of Israel as an “AI superpower,” even as corporations make a killing in profits.
All this technology, all this high-tech prowess, is fueling a holocaust in Gaza. Eisenhower warned us in 1953 that humanity might crucify itself on a cross of iron. Looking at today’s autonomous weapons, perhaps we’ve chosen a different cross—one made of silicon.
Bracing Views 
[From my comment on the Substack version.]
Yes, all very disturbing considerations being brought up, “Robo Cop” and “The Terminator” are evolving from fiction to terrifying reality.
But I’d like to back up to a corollary matter, why is it that Al Jazeera is producing such excellent documentary work, and the news media in this country are deaf, dumb, and blind? We may have touched upon this before, but there was a time when “CBS Reports” was a regular feature, I think both NBC and ABC had their versions, and they were half-way decent. Such enterprises within the broadcast media were wiped out long ago. Of course the ultimate answer as to why is found in Herman & Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent.” It takes an outside entity to do the job now, and because they’re Arab, they’re automatically dismissed.
Let the good times roll, huh…?
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One takeaway from former Israeli military intelligence officer Ari Ben Menashe’s book, “War for Profit” is that Israel will sell anything military to anyone, even if the US objects. Since it is clear that Netanyahu feels the entire world is antisemitic, this would make sense and it also is backed up by Israel’s long term policy of sowing chaos in its immediate neighboring countries.
It isn’t going to end well for Israel now that all of the above is so clear to everyone. US support is cracking and when that big brother no longer wants to be in that role, justice will have its say.
As for drones, is there anyone who can say with a serious face that humanity has control over technology? If something proves possible, it will be pursued no matter how dangerous it may be to do so. Nuclear weapons showed that some time back, but the pace has accelerated with no indication of any control. Supposedly banned weapons such as cluster munitions keep right on being used as “needed” with the US and Israel showing that they do not consider any laws applicable if they decide to act contrary to them.
We are on a wild ride, getting wilder all the time, with a president who shuns expertise and proves with his appointments and dismissals that for him ignorance is no impediment to holding any office if loyalty can be counted on.
Proof that our time is running out is the fact that the world is warming, too much CO2 in the atmosphere is the cause, fossil fuel use is the culprit, but profit rules and any regulation of fossil fuel consumption is not even a consideration. The carbon tax idea isn’t even mentioned these days while any solar power initiatives are being hobbled if not canceled. Government has the power to tell business how it can operate, but the 1% that gain so much from unrestrained business have duped the 99% into hatred of government.
Short term gain – long term disaster. That’s the situation.
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