Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the defining technologies of 21st century. Today AI is being deployed in health care systems, financial trading, translation and transportation and military technology massively. The technology and terminology “artificial intelligence” are not the product of 21st century, rather the term was coined in 1956 at Dartmouth summer workshop organized to develop thinking machines. However, there is no single definition of this technology, thus is quite difficult to define.
According
to a definition proposed by European Commission, artificial intelligence (AI)
is a system with capability to achieve given goal by acting physically or
digitally, after perceiving their environment by interpreting the structured or
unstructured data, reasoning the knowledge derived from this data and deciding
the best actions to perform the given goal. This definition identifies the
capability to perceive, interpret and reason as the pre-requisites for AI
enabled systems. Due to its capability of intelligence monitoring,
reconnaissance, target recognition, communication and navigation, automated
command and control, precision strikes, AI enable systems are becoming
necessary for militaries. Artificial intelligence is not a stand alone
technology, rather enhances or adds new features when integrated into military
systems. AI’s integration into military systems is a double edge sword. On the
one hand it is improving the existing systems by providing precision,
intelligence, detection and decision making tools, on the other hand it is
increasing risks and vulnerabilities for the existing structures and systems.
Today
policy makers are discussing issues like whether to trust machines, as machine
speed is enhanced manifold due to AI, which in asymmetric contested environment
would make it difficult for the commander to contain, control and terminate the
event because of the enhanced speed of the contest. Moreover, under the
pressure of limited time and speed, state might accept a higher risk and escalate
under the imperative of use it or lose it situation. Moreover, another issue
with utilization of AI in military systems is the biasness of the algorithms
encoded into them by human engineers, which could trap human operators into
machines’ biased and flawed assumptions. The integration of AI into
anti-submarine warfare would reduce the survivability of SSBNs, which would be
damaging for the nuclear deterrence and strategic stability between nuclear
rivals. By improved ability to collect and recognize different submarine
signatures, AI would play an effective role in anti-submarine warfare.
Most of
the research related to AI in military systems is associated with their
contribution as catalyst in offensive or defensive operations. However, one
less discussed fact in this regard is the security of the artificial
intelligence based systems. Today artificial intelligence is used in missile defense
and reconnaissance, which enhances the target recognition, image and pattern
recognition and trajectory calculation. Moreover, it can also assist in
analysis of damage effects. Enhanced intelligence and trajectory calculations
will assist states in more guided and precision strikes. All these
technological developments reveal that artificial intelligence is enabling states
to gather massive information and processing it to achieve desired objectives.
However, artificial intelligence does not exist in vacuum. It is essential to
recognize that all the data amassed, processed and utilized with the help of
artificial intelligence needs protection and security. Moreover, besides data,
machines and their algorithms also need to work effectively to avoid
manipulation and breach. This brings us
to the point that though artificial intelligence is a necessity for national
security of states and is largely adopted worldwide, this technology also needs
to be secured against cyber-attacks. To protect such systems it is necessary
that states build resilience against them. It is necessary that AI systems
should be protected from cyber-attacks and whole infrastructure of state must
have cyber resilience.
With
increased dependence on information technology and rapid digitization of
systems, term cyber security gained momentum. However, these systems not only
need to be securitized but they should be resilient against the threats. Cyber
resilience is the ability of the system to operate during an attack and achieve
a minimum level of operationalization while responding to an attack. It also
enables system to develop a back-up system that works in case of attack. Cyber
resilience is a step forward from cyber security because it not only ensures
the security of system, but also identifies the threats to it and then proposes
the system that could work amidst such attacks. Most military systems are
resilient against kinetic attacks because resilience and survivability go hand
in hand. But, with modernizations in military it is necessary that state’s
cyber networks which are working on artificial intelligence must be resilient
against kinetic and non-kinetic attack.
Today
states are in race to use the AI in their military systems to achieve maximum
military gains and denying their adversary the same. Situation is not so
different in South Asia where two nuclear rivals of the region are paving the
way towards use of artificial intelligence for military purposes. India has
developed Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) in DRDO, with
the aim to develop AI within the military systems to improve geographical
information system technology, decision support systems and object detection
and mapping. Moreover, companies like Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) are
already in the process of developing and incorporating AI into military
equipment. This includes AI-enabled patrol robot developed by BEL built in the
hope to be utilized by the Indian military. Moreover, in 2019 India’s Gen.
Bipin Rawat said adversary in north is spending huge amount on AI and cyber
warfare, so we cannot be left behind in this race. It is mostly projected by
the Indian policy makers and many international scholars that India is facing
adversaries at two fronts (China-Pakistan), to justify India’s military
expenditure and modernization. However, recently, events like Galwan Valley
clash evidently exposed that India’s military capabilities are mostly against
Pakistan. Moreover, South Asia’s security dynamics are heavily characterized by
the action-reaction chain. To avoid security dilemma vis-à-vis India, Pakistan
would also invest in AI. At the moment Pakistan has also started working
towards achieving expertise in AI. In 2019 President of Pakistan launched PIAIC
with focus on development of skills in AI to strengthen economy and defense
systems. Moreover, there are centers like National Center of Artificial
Intelligence and Department of Robotics and Intelligent Machine Learning in NUST, which are working to improve AI
based knowledge in Pakistan. Besides that Pakistan recently launched a program
named “Digital Pakistan” to increase access and connectivity, digital infrastructure,
e-government, digital skilling and training
and introduce innovation and entrepreneurship.
There
are many studies done on the implications of AI on nuclear deterrence and
strategic stability in South Asia. These studies highlight that due to
prevalent asymmetry in conventional military build-up, introduction of AI into
military technology would worsen the already fragile deterrence stability of
the region. This assumption is based on the argument that due to AI in
reconnaissance systems, high-level intelligence collection would affect the
survivability of nuclear weapons, which is based on diversification and
concealment. However, AI would also enable both states to have more response
options in a short time with the help of decision making tools in case of
crisis, especially in aerial battle.
Moreover,
both states are moving towards the massive digitalization of their military
systems and society without building cyber resilient systems. Resilience can be
built against the vulnerabilities like human factor, massive speed of the
systems, protection and storage of data and advanced persistent threats (ATPs).
Artificial intelligence based systems must be incorporated in societies and
militaries along with mechanisms to strengthen the cyber security systems. A
front runner in AI like US has also expressed concerns over the need for modern
equipment to operate on “internet-like networks” and subsequent increased
vulnerabilities due to their applicability. Therefore, military modernization
can happen effectively through cyber resiliency in military systems, network
processes and cyber architecture. Cyber resilient system would enable state to
develop a system that would remain functional during a phishing attack. Steps
like cyber deception, agility and clone defense could increase resilience in
the existing systems. This is important to understand in already lacking
strategic stability, military systems based on artificial intelligence would be
an ideal target of AI advanced persistent threats in South Asia.
Therefore,
as the process of digitalization is increasing in Pakistan-India equation, it
is also becoming very important that both states should develop resilience in
their cyber systems so that the technologies could give them advantage rather
than becoming a security peril for them.
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/07/17/artificial-intelligence-without-cyber-resilience-in-south-asia/
***Ahyousha
Khan, Research Associate at Islamabad based think-tank Strategic Vision
Institute