On the back of an open letter signed by 1,000 high-profile leading experts in artificial intelligent (AI), including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Professor Stephen Hawking, calling for an immediate ban on all future military use of artificial intelligent (AI) technology we debated the good the bad and the ugly of this new frontier of AI war.

On the one hand AI is a wonderful boon for medicine, for education and generally for humanity. It’s ability to think faster and to use and sort through a much broader data pool often allows it to make rational, pragmatic choices using best and most current information.

I have long argued that this is the role of techknowledgy moving forward and that human’s role will be to question these answers and apply unique thinking and problem solving to situations.

This same technology however has the potential to be used for evilness. To fight wars and to cause harm. It is similar to the argument that splitting the atom was an incredible human achievement, but using it to create an atom bomb was an abomination of the technology.

In tomorrow’s war zone, the fight will be asymmetrical fought between opposing sides of differing sizes and capabilities. It will be fought precisely and accurately attacking targets from long distances. It will potentially require fewer people in harm’s way and the use of more drones and robots.

The ease with which combat related information can be found and accessed; the use of AI to massage and refine these insights and then the ready capability to draw and execute battle strategies and tactics and for these to be sent instantly to a host of local and remote war technologies to act on, is real and should not be underestimated.

The counter argument to this is that by banning AI in wars, you will more than likely only stop those nations that would not have used it anyway and those that would use the technology will never take part in any treaty and how do we stop them if we have not developed the technology ourselves? – this is the same argument for having nuclear capability – that we do not intend to ever use it, but having it is a deterrent to those that might.

A fascinating debate and one I’d love to hear your views on, so have a listen now and then share away.

Phil Whelan Hong Kong Radio 3 – Tuesday 4th August 2015 (14 minutes 25 seconds)

David Dowsett – ABC Wide Bay – Monday 10th August 2015 (6 minutes 37 seconds)

Phil Staley – ABC Far North – Monday 10th August 2015 (16 minutes 14 seconds)