War, AI, and the future of human decision-making

I was asked to be on a podcast with two gifted, career US military officers: a retired Air Force Lieutenant General, and a retired Army Colonel -both with extensive experience in combat and the development of AI systems for warfare.

Wait…why was I invited? Excellent question!

On the surface, it would seem as though I am totally unqualified to speak on matters of military-grade AI -BUT if you dig deeper you will find… that I am in fact totally unqualified to speak on that subject.

But, this is a Stanford University project run by Col Boyd to tackle the broader implications of how the explosively evolving technology of artificial intelligence impacts human decision making in general, and I was asked to tag along to lend insight on how it affects medicine, and to try to keep the exchange between two seasoned experts in AI-enhanced warfare at a level that is slightly more accessible to mere mortals like us.

Watch and/or listen here:

I can’t lie. I was mesmerized by the conversation between these two, and dreaded opening my mouth because it meant smarter people would stop talking to politely listen. Give it a go and learn a thing or two about humanity’s place in a future filled with machines that think faster and more confidently (but not necessarily more accurately) than we do.

Bio highlights:

Bradley Boyd US Army Colonel, ret.

Currently works as a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, conducting research and formal coursework on automation and autonomy in warfare, as well as emergent technology in National Security. Senior Advisor to The Roosevelt Group. Director at Kratos. Author of Killer Robot Cocktail Party. Research interests include political disinformation and deception in the cyber domain.

Formerly: Infantry officer for over 30 years in the Marines and the Army. Served as the Joint Readiness Training Center’s Chief of Plans and Exercise Maneuver Control. Deputy Commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, an organization of 4,000 paratroopers. Commander of the U.S. Army’s Global Response Force -responsible for readiness to conduct worldwide combat operations upon 18-hour notification. Liaison officer to the British Army’s Expeditionary Warfare Doctrine and Human Terrain Doctrine in 2013 and 2014, while also advising Senior British Army leaders on U.S.–U.K. Alliance issues. Commanded a company that played a key role in the hunt for Saddam Hussein in 2003. Chief of Plans for all conventional military operations in Anbar Province, Iraq. Master’s degree in Military Science from the Army’s Command and General Staff College. Master of Studies in International Relations from Cambridge. Seminar XXI Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jack Shanahan, US Air Force Lieutenant General, ret.

Currently on the Board of Advisors for the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP); Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS); Board of Advisors for the Common Mission Project (CMP); The Changing Character of War (CCW) Centre (Oxford University); Advisor to the Military Cyber Professionals Association (MCPA); member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Autonomous Weapons Systems Assurance and Safety Subcommittee. Consultant on the use of AI-enabled technologies for national security.

Formerly: First Director of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven), established and led DoD’s pathfinder AI fielding program charged with bringing AI capabilities to intelligence collection and analysis. Inaugural Director of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Center (JAIC). Former Director of Defense Intelligence for Warfighter Support of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. Served in a variety of operational and staff positions in various fields including flying, intelligence, policy, and command and control. Commanded at the squadron, group, wing, Agency, and Numbered Air Force levels. B.S. in chemistry from U of Michigan. M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff at the Naval War College. M.S. in national security strategy from the National War College.

Casey Husser: Doctor of medicine, anesthesiologist, assistant clinical professor of surgery, professor of sarcasm (hon). Chief extrapolator of other people’s magical thinking on Absurdly Rational. Works in the hospital a lot. Enjoys sticking needles into people who are suffering so that they suffer less and don’t die. Writes for fun because he’s a big dork.