The deployment of AI in the battlefield has proven to be a leap forward in weapon modernization, as well as a threat to humanity’s survival. Technological advancement on the battlefield provided the path for new weaponry to arise and be deployed. From muskets to guns, tanks, airplanes, submarines, and nuclear weapons, the world has come a long way in preparing to completely annihilate the adversary in combat. However, it is currently entering a new phase in which the emphasis is shifting towards the employment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to destroy the opponent. Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS), often known as slaughter boxes, are the outcome of one such innovation, in which AI is used to identify, select, and strike targets without the need for human intervention. These are distinct from human-operated drones, in which the decision to attack is made by a human.

The issue has now progressed from experimentation to the deployment of such lethal weapons, which remain semi-autonomous (although AI is used, they are first commanded by human operators). They were initially employed by Turkey against the Libyan National Army (LNA) during the Libyan civil war, making their use a reality. Turkey utilized similar drones to protect its Syrian borders, while Azerbaijan used them during its Armenian conflict. “Loitering munitions” were utilized to topple down the enemy and they are seen as smaller versions of remote control “drones” used by U.S. against Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead of remote controlled mechanism, these munitions have built-in mechanism to destroy the target. This is only the beginning of a technology with horrendous consequences for humanity. Within a decade or two, we may witness fully autonomous AI-operated weapons, which might have catastrophic effects. These weapons, unlike conventional weapons, are incapable of distinguishing between civilian and military targets in the absence of human supervision.

History shows that this will result in a new arms race similar to the Cold War. China’s “Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” stated a goal of “World domination in AI by 2030.” Similarly, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, gave signs of engaging in an advanced arms race by stating that “Whoever leads in AI will be the ruler of the world”. Both these states are actively researching in the field which marks a new era of competition. Moscow is thought to be rather slow in the field when compared to the US and China, although an organization has been established to enhance military AI. Furthermore, there are reports that Moscow intends to incorporate AI in the maritime domain, with the goal of introducing unmanned undersea swarming capabilities as well as aerial, naval, and undersea vehicles.

Even governments that are hesitant to engage in this area will be pushed to do so for defensive reasons. The unrivaled speed of AI-driven weapons is difficult to defeat, which would necessitate a massive investment in new technologies. From 2008-2017, U.S. alone spent 694 billion dollars in their AI based technology for military purposes. Conclude with the treaty for efforts to ban it which is not passed yet. Pakistan is still nowhere in the race, whereas India is actively involved in improving its military system through the use of AI, for which it contributed 30.7 billion rupees ($462 million at current values) in 2018. The Indian Ministry of Defense formed a high-level Defense AI Council (DAIC) in 2019 with the mission of giving strategic guidance for the adoption of AI in the military sector.

President Arif Alvi took the first step in this field in 2018, creating the “Presidential Initiative for Artificial Intelligence & Computing (PIAIC)” to promote education, research, and industry in AI. In comparison to other states, 367 million rupees were invested for this purpose. With a shaky economy, Pakistan cannot make a larger investment in the industry and must initially rely on China for technology. Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications corporation, launched an eight-day training campaign for Pakistani trainers in 2019 under PIAIC. However, in the long run, we must establish a domestic foundation for such progress. As India’s technology advances, the “balance of power” in South Asia will be disrupted, necessitating the construction of at least such a defense system capable of competing with the neighboring country’s superior AI-driven military capabilities. Given the country’s political and economic insecurity, Pakistan confronts numerous hurdles in this area, and it still has a long way to go.

In terms of the weapons race, the world has embarked on a new journey the consequences of which will haunt humanity in the coming years. The topic has sparked heated debate in recent years, with the United States and Russia (supported by Britain and Israel) appearing to be the most vocal opponents of the ban. Many countries are pushing at the United Nations (UN) to put a ban on autonomous weapons and to maintain meaningful human control. Keeping ethical considerations in mind, there must be a regulatory structure reached through consensus that mitigates the destructive ramifications of newly emerging technology for mankind.