AI in Warfare: Speed, Fragility, and the Risks of Overreliance
The progressive integration of artificial intelligence into military systems has often been described as a revolutionary development, capable of reshaping the very nature of warfare. Much of the public debate has focused on the prospect of autonomous weapons, the so-called “killer robots” able to operate without human intervention and to make engagement decisions independently. Yet this narrative risks obscuring the structural limits of currently available technologies and the vulnerabilities they introduce once deployed on the battlefield. Contemporary AI, despite its rapid progress, remains fundamentally rooted in statistical models that excel at pattern recognition but lack genuine contextual understanding, causal reasoning, and reliable adaptation to unforeseen circumstances. These weaknesses are not abstract issues but have direct consequences in environments defined by uncertainty, deception, and rapid change. Military organizations therefore face a paradox: while AI accelerates the collection and processing of information, its probabilistic nature may magnify errors, introduce new risks, and undermine the reliability of decision-making in war.