Soumitra Dutta’s AI Governance Insights Find Relevance in the Current War-Like Crisis

As the world seems to be on the brink of the third world war, the evolving technology that is artificial intelligence stands at the crux of this and has always been cited as something that will shape the future of global security. For Soumitra Dutta, former dean at Oxford’s Said Business School, AI is his baby, because he has been studying and researching this subject for many years now, and also holds a major in Artificial Intelligence. Dutta continues to emphasize the fact that in order for world powers not to exploit the powers of AI in such vulnerable moments like the ongoing war between Iran and the USA-Israel, it is necessary that such technology is governed by an international body so that it does not undermine human values.

How Ethical It Is To Leverage AI In A War Strategy?

If you take a look at the evolution of artificial intelligence in modern warfare in the past decade, almost every army is experimenting with the technology and has come to the realization that using AI is actually helping them improve accuracy with their targets. By now, every military organization has understood how reliable it is to leverage artificial intelligence by incorporating it in their attack strategies, using satellite images to determine possible enemy locations and incoming threats. The effects of AI in wars in real-time are adverse. Take for example, the USA and Iran’s commanding officers casually using AI technology to decode complex databases into simpler interpretations way faster than humans could analyze. Now enemies are able to target each other with unmanned drones equipped with missiles. While all this is happening, what these superpowers embroiled in war are not taking accountability for is the innocent lives they are taking. As Soumitra Dutta said, AI should be used to favor humanity, but looking at the current situation, it looks like ethical use of AI is a far-fetched dream, with the USA and Iran both determined to win the war at all costs.

How Reliable Is It To Use AI Data And What Is The Risk Involved?

Although it is true that AI has found its way out of the research labs and is not optimized by everyone, including countries that are at war, what the military organizations cannot ignore is the fact that artificial intelligence is based on algorithms to which data is fed to it. And in certain moments, a glitch in the algorithm can often mislead the automated drones with missiles and end up causing harm, destruction and death of innocents. This is why Soumitra Dutta has always emphasized the fact that although AI technology is flourishing, this innovation must not affect society in such a way that it leaves everyone traumatized. But unfortunately, Dutta’s warnings about the unethical use of AI have become a real-life scenario as there are reports of innocent people losing their lives in the ongoing war.

 AI must be handled with Responsibility

The questions about AI that Soumitra Dutta had several years ago still feel fresh – how can we as a society ensure that the use of innovative technology like artificial intelligence does not affect the normalcy of life? If the use of AI warfare has become so casual, what are we doing to ensure that harmony across the world remains intact? What is it that world leaders must lay emphasis on so that they do not continue to take the lives of civilians? It is really sad to witness that the casual use of AI in warfare is doing nothing but setting a bad example, something that Soumitra Dutta had warned us about. And tomorrow, if international conflicts worsen, doomsday is not far away.