The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence: Imaginaries and Realities of Algorithmic Warfare

This chapter explores the relationship between the imaginaries and realities of algorithmic warfare – one of the defining global security challenges of the twenty-first century. We begin by defining what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is and outlining some of its many military applications. We then critically engage with the International Relations (IR) literature on whether recent technical advances in AI are changing the character – and possibly the nature – of war. Through an empirical examination of the recent wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the chapter highlights important differences between the various imaginaries associated with AI and its real-world battlefield use. We conclude by outlining a revised research agenda for the study of algorithmic warfare that: (1) adopts a more consciously “critical” approach to the study of these technologies; (2) reflects on how the various popular imaginaries associated with AI may distort their empirical study; and (3) focuses more on the practical use of AI-enabled Decision Support Systems in contemporary conflicts, rather than solely on “killer robots” and autonomous weapon systems.