Considering the possibility of AI warfare it feels like the canvases of conflict are no longer painted with coal-blackened brushes but programmed with code—a shift as raw as it is unsettling. Autonomous weapon systems (AWS) and their AI-driven kin are reshaping geopolitics, introducing a new layer of abstraction to violence. The question isn’t just about “how” wars are fought but whether the essence of warfare itself is being redefined. Is this the end of human agency in war, or can we still wrestle back control?
From Science Fiction to Reality: The Emergence of Autonomous Weapons and AI Warfare
The international alarm about “killer robots” is deafening. UN General Assembly resolution 78/241 (2023) and the Belén Communiqué (2023) mark turning points in global awareness. Companies like Anduril and OpenAI, masking lethal technologies as “defensive,” are quietly normalizing machines that make life-and-death decisions. Human Rights Watch and the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots highlight the humanitarian black hole these systems could create, warning that lethal autonomy might sever human accountability from warfare.
Frustration at the UN’s Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) has sparked action elsewhere. Regional coalitions are stepping into the regulatory void, pushing for binding agreements to prohibit fully autonomous weapons. As these efforts accelerate, the moral imperative becomes clear: meaningful human control isn’t just a technical safeguard but a core principle of humanity.
Ethics on the Battlefield: Accountability in the Age of AI Warfare
Autonomous weapons force us to ask: Where does accountability lie when machines decide who lives or dies? AWS promises precision and speed, but at what cost? Removing human judgment from acts of violence risks detaching warfare from its moral gravity. Decisions become calculations, and suffering becomes a data point (if it not already is).
This “frictionless” violence is a dangerous illusion: The absence of human involvement anesthetizes war, and strips it of the ethical frictions that restrain our darkest impulses. AWS doesn’t just wage war differently; it redefines what war means, turning conflict into an abstracted series of algorithmic decisions.
The Role of Art: Painting a Raw Truth
Artist have a unique role in exposing the sanitized language surrounding AWS. Art can subvert the narrative of “efficiency” and “autonomy” with visceral depictions of war’s consequences. Imagine capturing the cold glow of drones over terrified children or the empty hands of parents clutching at nothing. Art must confront the techno-rapture of AWS and rehumanize its victims, breaking through the abstraction of “algorithmic warfare.”
[comment: this is the stance of gpt-o1 and 4o]
Art can do what policy often fails to achieve: make suffering visible and undeniable. By igniting empathy, art can push public consciousness toward action, challenging the cultural acceptance of “clean” wars waged by machines.
AI-driven weaponry, propelled by the convergence of defense and tech industries, fuels a $2.44 trillion arms race globally. Giants like Anduril, alongside Russian and Chinese firms, profit from escalating militarization. This cycle of conflict, sustained by perceived threats and lobbying, guarantees revenue streams while increasing instability. Disrupting this profit-driven engine demands investigative journalism, watchdog reports (SIPRI, Campaign to Stop Killer Robots), and public divestment movements to challenge the spread of autonomous weapons.
Toward a Future Without AWS / AI driven weaponry
Stopping war itself may seem utopian, but the synergy of policy, activism, and cultural change offers a path forward.
Global Regulation and Treaties
The UN General Assembly’s resolution 78/241 lays groundwork for “meaningful human control” as a moral necessity. Upcoming reports, such as the UN Secretary-General’s 2024 publication, may catalyze negotiations for binding treaties. The Belén Communiqué demonstrates the power of regional coalitions to lead the charge, creating global pressure to curb AWS deployment.
Civil Society Advocacy
Organizations like Human Rights Watch and the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots translate complex AI issues into moral clarity. Guerrilla art, public protests, and incisive reporting can turn abstract concerns into tangible public outrage. Advocacy must disrupt the silence that shields governments and corporations from accountability.
Radical Cultural Shifts
Ending war requires dismantling its cultural allure. Education must demystify conflict, promoting empathy-based ideologies over brute force. Imagine AI technologies designed for peace—predicting conflicts, suggesting nonviolent interventions, and fostering global stability. This vision requires de-militarizing our imaginations and redefining “security” as cooperation, not dominance.
Reclaiming Human Agency
AI-powered warfare threatens to sever war from human agency and empathy, but we can push back. By integrating treaties, activism, and art, we can challenge the narrative of “progress” that AWS embodies. Let’s replace brushes dipped in blood with those dipped in brighter pigments, painting a future where technology enriches humanity instead of annihilating it. The solution lies in collective colors—compassion, creativity, and a commitment to life.
Want to dive deeper?
Listen to the podcast (created by Google’s Notebook LM from sources, art and texts I provided):