Artificial Intelligence and Collateral Damage
On February 28, 2026, the first day of a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, an American "Tomahawk" missile hit a school in Minab. Iranian authorities had already ordered an evacuation, but the school was hit too quickly. At least 165 people, mostly girls, were killed. This terrible news, which will have far-reaching consequences, was not on the front pages of the "New York Times," "Washington Post," or "Wall Street Journal" in the days that followed, which may have been intentional.
Artificial Intelligence and Collateral Damage An AI system, ‘Anthropic,’ was involved in selecting targets for a US-Israeli strike on Iran that resulted in the deaths of 165 people at a school in Minab, highlighting the ethical and practical issues of using AI in warfare. The author criticizes an article in ‘The Free Press’ for downplaying Anthropic’s role and the significance of the Minab incident, arguing that human control over life-and-death decisions is crucial. The article draws parallels between the Minab incident and past civilian casualties in conflicts involving Serbia, emphasizing the need for accountability and responsible AI development.
- A joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, 2026, resulted in a ‘Tomahawk’ missile hitting a school in Minab, killing at least 165 people, mostly girls.
- The article argues that AI systems, like ‘Anthropic,’ are being used in military targeting, raising concerns about accountability and the use of potentially outdated data.
- Anthropic insists on human final decision-making for lethal actions, despite its AI models being trained on real intelligence data.
- The author criticizes the article “‘Anthropic’ Does Not Set Our Rules of Engagement” for not mentioning the Minab massacre and for misrepresenting Anthropic’s stance on AI in warfare.
- The article draws parallels between the Minab incident and past civilian casualties in conflicts involving Serbia, such as the NATO bombing in 1999 and the ‘Operation Storm’ in Croatia, emphasizing a history of collateral damage and lack of accountability.
- Serbia is prioritizing AI development, building a national AI factory with a supercomputer, and collaborating with US tech companies.
- The author concludes that a compromise between the Pentagon and the AI industry is necessary to reduce the likelihood of future civilian casualties.
Write a comment