Jim VandeHei
Mike Allen
Axios
America’s ability to remain the world’s most lethal military hinges on two interrelated — and vexing — mysteries.
Can soon-to-retire four-star generals truly foresee the awesome power of artificial intelligence in time to break generation-old habits and shift warfare theories?
If they do, can they convince the brightest coding minds to chuck lucrative gigs at Google to build AI-powered systems for America faster or better than their rivals in China?
Why it matters: Future wars will be won with Stanford nerds, faster chips, superior computing power and precision robotics on land, sea and air. Experts tell us that because of a lethal combination of congressional myopia and constipated Pentagon buying rules, America isn’t mobilizing fast enough to prevail on future battlefields.
“We are witnessing an unprecedented fundamental change in the character of war, and our window of opportunity to ensure that we maintain an enduring competitive advantage is closing,” retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, who then was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned in a report he wrote shortly before retiring this fall.
What’s happening: Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, said at last week’s Axios AI+ Summit in Washington that with cutting-edge tech being deployed in Ukraine, a drone is no longer just an uncrewed flying object. It’s a “potent software platform” that’s a big step toward more automated war.
“It’s clear that drones and other weapons based on autonomy can replace tanks, artillery and mortars,” Schmidt told us in a later interview. “The success of Ukraine and also Russia on the battlefield proves this point.”
