Artificial Intelligence and War: We Are Standing on the Threshold of a New Era

Artificial Intelligence and War: We Are Standing at the Threshold of a New Era

Amidst the rapid development of artificial intelligence, we must confront a forming reality: the face of war is being fundamentally altered.

Drone swarms can lock onto targets through facial recognition, unmanned combat robots are nearly indestructible, and autonomous fighter jets with supersonic capabilities can withstand gravitational forces far beyond human limits. At the same time, cyberattacks can paralyze critical infrastructure such as ports, and deepfake videos and audio can subvert presidential elections. Even hostile nations could destroy satellites, rendering us "blind and deaf" to global affairs.

All of this is no longer science fiction, but a new era of intelligent warfare that is actually unfolding.

From Nuclear Weapons to AI: A Cycle of Technology-Defined Warfare

The speaker grew up in Los Alamos, USA—the birthplace of the atomic bomb. Both of his parents were scientists working in plasma magnetohydrodynamics. Growing up in such a family background, he understood from an early age that technology not only shapes the world, but also changes the rules of war and peace.

The atomic bomb of the last century allowed the United States to win World War II and dominate the international order of the Cold War era. Today, whoever integrates artificial intelligence into military systems first and most effectively will dominate future warfare.

Why Has the United States Fallen Behind?

First, the data disadvantage. Although the United States possesses the world's most massive military hardware inventory, the vast majority of the data generated by it is discarded, archived, or trapped in disconnected hard drives. This low efficiency in data utilization has become the "Achilles' heel" of the United States in the AI military competition.

Second, the tech sector's avoidance mindset. Despite having the world's most advanced AI tech companies, Silicon Valley generally refuses to cooperate with the government or the military. Due to moral, cultural, and even political factors, many tech leaders treat supporting national security as a taboo.

War in Ukraine: How AI Tactics Reversed the Battle Situation?

Faced with a Russian military vastly superior in equipment and numbers, Ukraine achieved astonishing resistance relying on AI and high-tech methods.

Russia's military budget is 65 billion dollars, while Ukraine's is only 6 billion;

The number of Russian troops exceeds 900,000, while Ukrainian troops number only 200,000.

However, Ukraine utilized AI image recognition, drone strikes, and precision missiles to withstand the offensive of a powerful enemy. AI played a critical role in battlefield damage assessment, target identification, and infrastructure defense. Scale AI, the company where the speaker works, analyzed theater image data through machine learning algorithms, identified over 370,000 architectural structures, and opened this data up to NATO allies and research institutions.

Massive amounts of information that humans cannot analyze can be processed by AI. This is its battlefield advantage.

More Dangerous Weapons: Information and Cognitive Warfare

AI is not only used for physical combat; more dangerous are information warfare and cognitive manipulation:

AI can automatically generate realistic images, speech, and video;

Deepfakes can forge speeches by political figures to guide public emotion;

Bot accounts, algorithmic recommendations, and geofenced advertisements are influencing voter decisions.

These weapons cross borders without requiring the high costs of nuclear weapons, and anyone can use them.

China has already launched large-scale social media interference during the Taiwan elections. Russia has also previously released a deepfake video forging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "surrender"—although it was easy to spot at the time, what about the next one?

The Solution: Building AI Defense Capabilities

This speech ultimately culminates in a strong call to action:

The United States must invest in data infrastructure;

AI companies should actively participate in national security missions;

Data is the new ammunition, and data sovereignty is strategic sovereignty.

> "Tech practitioners can no longer stand on the sidelines. National security is the technological mission of our era."

Today, as the global order is being reshaped, standing at the crossroads is not only the nation, but also the conscience and choice of every technology professional.

Conclusion: AI Warfare Has Begun

AI is no longer a distant future, nor is it merely a productivity tool. It has penetrated every aspect of war, diplomacy, information, and politics. It is the "new nuclear weapon" of this era.

In the next decade, AI will determine the global power structure. The question is: Are we ready?