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'At its core, artificial intelligence is a military technology.' False premise. How is it a military technology at its core as opposed to any other technology?

'At its core, artificial intelligence is a military technology.' False premise. How is it a military technology at its core as opposed to any other technology? Or every technology is a military technology at its core, in which case, so what?

yreg 7y ago
>A.I. is a military technology. Forget the sci-fi fantasy (...) these tools are nevertheless valuable to any army. I guess cars and packaged food are also ‚a military technology‘?
- espeed 7y ago
  Yes, especially when other armies were still on horses, food was fast to spoil and foodlines were hard to maintain. Planes were too, so were satellites. Still are. Any sufficiently advanced technology gives you an advantage and serves as a deterrent, especially when no one else has it. Giving it away is giving away your country and your allies' hard-earned, time-tested, long-term advantage. But that's just part of it, there are other factors to consider too. Huge unknowns on the horizon. The question is what is driving this play?
M2Ys4U 7y ago
He owns Palantir. Guess what they do....
unethical_ban 7y ago
I am dumbfounded at how many people are missing his point. - When airplanes came out, their first application was military. - When networks and computers came out, their first application was military. - When satellites were first developed, their first application was military. A.I. has a lot of uses, but it is another new technology, a whole new field of computer science that is rapidly evolving and has clear, identifiable military applications. And its early stage of development means that each breakthrough can pose a strategic military advantage. This is true whether you agree with his point about the morality of Google partnering with China.
- debatem1 7y ago
  New medicines also find their way into militaries. Should we hoard those? What about agricultural technology? Modern farming methods feed a billion people, but armies march on their stomachs. Should they all go hungry?
  - espeed 7y ago
    Funny you bring up the meds thing. One of the problems that just surfaced in the news yesterday is the realization that almost all prescription meds are manufactured in China. The risk that poses to the US population and DoD is incalculable. How do we get off China meds?
    - debatem1 7y ago
      I note you avoided the question. In your view, should we hoard medical technology? Doing so will lead to countless unnecessary deaths and tremendous suffering. Is that worth it in your eyes to preserve a military advantage?
      - unethical_ban 7y ago
        It is also clear that not every technology is permanently hoarded or seen exclusively as a military advantage. If the Chinese were known to have stockpiles of Mustard Gas (a bio weapon not otherwise applicable to civilian life), then perhaps the US having exclusive knowledge of a cure or preventative substance would be a military advantage. Your premise is that AI at its current stage is equivalent to a cure for cancer. I disagree.
        debatem1 7y ago
        A few points. First, mustard gas is not a bioweapon. It's a chemical agent. There will never be a cure because it's like saying that you have a cure for fire. Second, the point raised above is that things like food preservation technology implicitly confer military advantage. The same is true of many lifesaving medical technologies, especially things like celox that treat trauma. And then there's cryptography. I find it hard to believe that you (or anyone on HN) support Joe Biden's approach to restrictions there. But that's quite clearly a dual use technology. Finally, I never said it was equivalent to a cure for cancer. I don't believe that, and it's disingenuous to put words in my mouth. But things like self driving cars probably will actually save lives, and even independent of that I think it's worth examining very critically what restrictions we as a free society are willing to impose to gain military advantage.
jeffdavis 7y ago
You have to apply some judgement; otherwise you reach ridiculous false equivalences. AI is clearly something interesting to both militaries as a potential strategic advantage.
- craftyguy 7y ago
  > You have to apply some judgement; otherwise you reach ridiculous false equivalences. An article about 'AI' that requires actual 'I' to understand? Inconceivable!

yreg 7y ago

>A.I. is a military technology. Forget the sci-fi fantasy (...) these tools are nevertheless valuable to any army. I guess cars and packaged food are also ‚a military technology‘?

espeed 7y ago
Yes, especially when other armies were still on horses, food was fast to spoil and foodlines were hard to maintain. Planes were too, so were satellites. Still are. Any sufficiently advanced technology gives you an advantage and serves as a deterrent, especially when no one else has it. Giving it away is giving away your country and your allies' hard-earned, time-tested, long-term advantage. But that's just part of it, there are other factors to consider too. Huge unknowns on the horizon. The question is what is driving this play?

M2Ys4U 7y ago

He owns Palantir. Guess what they do....

unethical_ban 7y ago

I am dumbfounded at how many people are missing his point. - When airplanes came out, their first application was military. - When networks and computers came out, their first application was military. - When satellites were first developed, their first application was military. A.I. has a lot of uses, but it is another new technology, a whole new field of computer science that is rapidly evolving and has clear, identifiable military applications. And its early stage of development means that each breakthrough can pose a strategic military advantage. This is true whether you agree with his point about the morality of Google partnering with China.

debatem1 7y ago
New medicines also find their way into militaries. Should we hoard those? What about agricultural technology? Modern farming methods feed a billion people, but armies march on their stomachs. Should they all go hungry?
- espeed 7y ago
  Funny you bring up the meds thing. One of the problems that just surfaced in the news yesterday is the realization that almost all prescription meds are manufactured in China. The risk that poses to the US population and DoD is incalculable. How do we get off China meds?
  - debatem1 7y ago
    I note you avoided the question. In your view, should we hoard medical technology? Doing so will lead to countless unnecessary deaths and tremendous suffering. Is that worth it in your eyes to preserve a military advantage?
    - unethical_ban 7y ago
      It is also clear that not every technology is permanently hoarded or seen exclusively as a military advantage. If the Chinese were known to have stockpiles of Mustard Gas (a bio weapon not otherwise applicable to civilian life), then perhaps the US having exclusive knowledge of a cure or preventative substance would be a military advantage. Your premise is that AI at its current stage is equivalent to a cure for cancer. I disagree.
      - debatem1 7y ago
        A few points. First, mustard gas is not a bioweapon. It's a chemical agent. There will never be a cure because it's like saying that you have a cure for fire. Second, the point raised above is that things like food preservation technology implicitly confer military advantage. The same is true of many lifesaving medical technologies, especially things like celox that treat trauma. And then there's cryptography. I find it hard to believe that you (or anyone on HN) support Joe Biden's approach to restrictions there. But that's quite clearly a dual use technology. Finally, I never said it was equivalent to a cure for cancer. I don't believe that, and it's disingenuous to put words in my mouth. But things like self driving cars probably will actually save lives, and even independent of that I think it's worth examining very critically what restrictions we as a free society are willing to impose to gain military advantage.

jeffdavis 7y ago

You have to apply some judgement; otherwise you reach ridiculous false equivalences. AI is clearly something interesting to both militaries as a potential strategic advantage.

craftyguy 7y ago
> You have to apply some judgement; otherwise you reach ridiculous false equivalences. An article about 'AI' that requires actual 'I' to understand? Inconceivable!