Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Politics and War

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the world, and its impact on politics and war is profound. From influencing voters to dominating battlefields, AI holds the potential to reshape the global landscape. This article explores the possibilities and ethical challenges posed by AI in these critical realms.

In the coming years, the world may witness the emergence of tech alliances as a guiding political issue, according to a retired American serviceman-turned-novelist. Elliot Ackerman, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years, believes that technological power could become the primary source of national influence, surpassing military or economic might.

"Whoever gets there first is going to so stratospherically outpace their rivals that they'll be able to dominate as a nation," Ackerman said.

Ackerman's latest collaboration with retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, "2054: A Novel of the Next World War," envisions a future world where technological advances, including AI, have profoundly transformed society. In this book, Japan has leveraged AI to compensate for a diminished workforce, while India has become a vast market for its technologies.

AI has the potential to enhance decision-making, increase the speed and precision of operations, and facilitate advanced simulations for training and strategizing. However, technical challenges and legal considerations regarding its use in combat remain key obstacles.

One of the central themes of "2054" is the quest for the Singularity, defined as an "intelligence explosion" where machine and human learning integrate into a single consciousness.

"It's a story about great power competition, and that is the oldest story out there," Ackerman said. "Except, in our case, it's not an arms race or even necessarily nation-versus-nation war – it's a technological race and a nation versus nation race to get to the singularity first."

Ackerman emphasizes that AI will act as a "force multiplier for militaries" and "fundamentally change the way that we fight wars." However, he raises concerns about ethical issues, particularly regarding who controls lethal systems in the U.S. military.

"Who gets to decide to pull the trigger?" Ackerman asked. "Who gets to decide who uses lethal force? Is it always going to be a human? Or, sometimes, will those authorities be delegated to algorithms and AI in order to speed up response times?"

"These are all really big questions that are being posed right now," he added.

The novel also highlights quality-of-life technological advances, such as the predominance of suborbital flight for rapid travel. Ackerman and Stavridis carefully considered how technology would shape the world between now and the future presented in their book.

"We spent a lot of time talking about how the book would feel: What are the nods we're going to make towards technology that show the passage of time between now and the future, and what things are going to remain the same?" Ackerman explained.

Throughout the conversation, Ackerman grapples with the tension between providing answers and posing thought-provoking questions.

"I try to write the types of books that I enjoy reading, and the types of books that I enjoy reading often leave me when I shut the book asking myself questions, not being served up answers," Ackerman said.