What Can the Public Learn About AI Weapons by Playing Videogames?
By Paolo Franco and Guangyu Qiao-Franco Military-themed videogames are not only popular among consumers, but they also generate considerable commercial interest. The Call of Duty series, for example, is one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time, having sold 425 million units and earning $30 billion in revenue since its debut in 2003. These […]
AI in Military Decision Support Systems: A Review of Developments and Debates
Download the report here By Anna Nadibaidze, Ingvild Bode, and Qiaochu Zhang A new report published by the Center for War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark reviews developments and debates related to AI-based decision support systems (AI DSS) in military decision-making on the use of force. Written by Anna Nadibaidze, Ingvild Bode, and […]
Navigating the Complexities of Exercising Human Agency in Human-Machine Interaction Across the AI Lifecycle
This blog is based on the breakout session titled “Responsible Human-Machine Teaming Across the AI Lifecycle: An Interactive Scenario”, co-organised by the AutoNorms project and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL) at the Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. You can watch the breakout session here. […]
“Mission Impossible”? Talking Popular Culture at the REAIM 2024 Summit
The simultaneous release of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer on 21 July 2023 was a cultural phenomenon. “Barbenheimer”—as this event was popularly called—captured global attention. It also invited reflection on how the public comes to think about the politics of nuclear weapons and what role pop culture plays in this process. Released a week prior […]
The New AutoPractices Project: Toward Governing AI Technologies in Military Decision-Making from the Bottom Up
On 1 June 2024, the AutoNorms team started a new policy-oriented project called AutoPractices. The purpose of the AutoPractices project is to initiate and accompany a process of social innovation to govern autonomous and AI technologies (AIT) in the military domain from the bottom up. The project aims to do this by addressing the practices […]
Submission on Autonomous Weapon Systems to the UN Secretary General
The following is the AutoNorms project’s response to Resolution 78/241 on “Lethal autonomous weapons systems” adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on 22 December 2023. The resolution requests the UN Secretary-General to seek views, including those of Member States, civil society, and the scientific community, on “lethal autonomous weapons systems, inter alia, on […]
The Imaginaries of Human-Robot Relationships in Chinese Popular Culture
The portrayals of artificial intelligence (AI) and human-robot interactions in popular culture, along with their potential impact on public perceptions of AI and the regulations governing this evolving field, have garnered growing interest. Building on previous studies on public imaginaries of AI in Hollywood movies, particularly focusing on the Terminator franchise, in this essay I investigate […]
‘Traditional Values’: The Russian Leadership’s Narrative about Generative AI
In February 2024, Vladimir Putin approved a new version of Russia’s national artificial intelligence (AI) development strategy, initially adopted in October 2019. One of the updates included is a list of challenges to Russia’s AI development, which mention “the decision to restrict access to AI technologies, caused by unfair competition on the part of unfriendly […]
Japanese ‘Robot Culture’ and the Military Domain: Fact or Fiction?
Imagine that you are sitting in a restaurant somewhere in central Tokyo. You have just ordered your lunch using the tablet provided. Suddenly, coming from the direction of the kitchen, you hear a jingle playing. Next, a little white robot turns the corner and drives in your direction. As it comes closer, you see that […]
AI Summits and Declarations: Symbolism or Substance?
The UK’s AI Safety Summit, held on 1-2 November at Bletchley Park, has generated different types of responses from experts and commentators. Some praise it as a “major diplomatic breakthrough” for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, especially as he managed to get 28 signatures, including those of China, the EU, and the US, on the Bletchley […]