The US military is reportedly using the Ukraine conflict to test a new artificial intelligence technology that helps detect targets on the battlefield using drone footage.
Dubbed Project Maven, research into the technology was initially picked up as a government contract by Google six years ago, according to the outlet. However, after pushback from engineers and employees, who did not want to take part in building an AI tool for military use, the tech giant stepped away from the project, which was picked up by other contractors.
Now, the technology is being tested on the front line in Ukraine, the NYT claims, as Western and Ukrainian officers, along with some of Silicon Valley’s top military contractors, are “exploring new ways of finding and exploiting Russian vulnerabilities.”
Nevertheless, the Ukraine conflict remains “a bonanza for the US military” in the minds of American officials, and a testing ground for rapidly evolving technologies.
One huge problem is that contemporary, technological warfare (except for minor complications like drones on air and water) is largely based on air supremacy, or at least superiority.
The West has felt itself constrained in offering the extended systems that allow Ukraine to seriously control their skies. We have said we are giving Ukraine F-16s in numbers that are essentially performative, but not in the numbers (or with the equipment) that could support the fleets on A-10’s we have moldering in our deserts, a weapon designed for just this problem against this very opponent.
Without total air supremacy to protect them, A10s are slow fat juicy targets to an enemy that has modern air defense weapon capabilities (like Russia). They'd be unusable in Ukraine, unless the goal was to get a lot of air crews killed.
One of the reasons they are being retired from the service as hopelessly 'obsolete'.
@Tr3atyMadelynGreen1mo1MO
What is amazing to me is the echo chamber in the U.S. that was ecstatic over more funding for the Ukraine war, thinking that this was going to win the war for Ukraine. We just have to send more money and weapons, and that will do the trick.
@ISIDEWITH1mo1MO
Is it ethical for a country to test new military technologies in a conflict involving another nation?
@9LS8DS61mo1MO
I need more information on the topic to say something about it.
@ISIDEWITH1mo1MO
What responsibilities do engineers and developers have when their creations are used in military operations?
@9LSBLDB1mo1MO
They have no responsibilites, they are just doing what they are told to, the resposibilities fall on who authorises the attacks.
@ISIDEWITH1mo1MO
Should technology companies refuse to work on military projects that could potentially save lives but also escalate conflicts?
@9LS7Z8K1mo1MO
Ukraine's ability to repel the invasion arguably hinges more on renewed deliveries of basic weapons and ammunition.
All the technology in the world won't save a bad strategy. The US keeps forgetting this.
Our policy of managed, gradual escalation allowed the Russians to recover from their early disasters and practically guarantees stalemate now.
@GranolaBruceRepublican1mo1MO
In a war between the U.S. and China, a key element will likely be autonomous drone swarms guided, not by GPS, but by AI.
Of course - the U.S. will have to buy all its drones from China.
@Feder4l1stAveryGreen1mo1MO
Ukraine is losing too many people to continue this war. Russia & China will prevail Zelensky refuses to negotiate.
Congress is foolishly promoting wars not in our best interest.
The $150 million fighter jet and $5 billion aircraft carrier are obsolete. We need to stop wasting money on them. I read it cost over $500 million to defend Israel from Iranian drones. How much did Iran spend?
@V3toJuliaDemocrat1mo1MO
What's in: small, fast, numerous, inexpensive, self-directing.
What's out: heavy tanks, ships, manned aircraft, any concentration of troops.
The trend: there is no safe "space" for a soldier, the technology will detect you and hunt you with ever increasing efficiency.
The only constant: the mud, there is always the mud.
@ISIDEWITH1mo1MO
@ISIDEWITH1mo1MO
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