The Role of Civilian Innovation in the Development of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

Verbruggen, Maaike

doi:10.1111/1758-5899.12663

Cited by 21 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Today, it is less common for defence technology to spin off into civilian innovation than for civilian technology to spin in for defence systems. As summarized by Maaike Verbruggen, civilian and military ‘business practices are out of sync, there are few social ties between the two worlds, innovative cultures do not translate, and many civilian engineers resist cooperation with the military’ (Verbruggen, 2019 p. 338). This opens up an array of questions about the EDF's potential for innovation and how its funding should be targeted (see also Fiott, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sociotechnical Imaginaries of EU Defence: The Past and the Future in the European Defence Fund

Martins

Mawdsley

2021

J of Common Market Studies

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In this article we investigate how a particular vision of the future of EU defence has embedded itself into different arenas of EU politics over decades, and is currently gaining material expression in the European Defence Fund (EDF). Through an historiographic approach, we traced the development of a particular narrative on security, innovation, research, and economic growth based on fears of technology gaps and dependence on the US, and a belief in the potential of military R&D to produce civilian benefits. We provide an alternative reading of the emergence of the EDF by drawing on literature within Science and Technology Studies, in particular the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries, to highlight wider socio-political dimensions of defence technologies and expand debates on EU defence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sociotechnical Imaginaries of EU Defence: The Past and the Future in the European Defence Fund

Martins

Mawdsley

2021

J of Common Market Studies

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“…Considering responsible R&D as illustrated by the EU's guideline Trustworthy AI, our results do not point into the direction of frequent and widespread knowledge transfer among civilian and defense actors through their technologies. Consequently, we could not find evidence supporting the hypothesis of emerging technologies such as AI being applied primarily for civilian purposes and subsequently for military purposes (Verbruggen, 2019). Focusing on German patents allows diving into company linkages representing knowledge transfers within the national network.…”

Section: European Network Based On Patent Classesmentioning

confidence: 63%

Dual-Use and Trustworthy? A Mixed Methods Analysis of AI Diffusion Between Civilian and Defense R&D

2022

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be impacting all industry sectors, while becoming a motor for innovation. The diffusion of AI from the civilian sector to the defense sector, and AI’s dual-use potential has drawn attention from security and ethics scholars. With the publication of the ethical guideline Trustworthy AI by the European Union (EU), normative questions on the application of AI have been further evaluated. In order to draw conclusions on Trustworthy AI as a point of reference for responsible research and development (R&D), we approach the diffusion of AI across both civilian and military spheres in the EU. We capture the extent of technological diffusion and derive European and German patent citation networks. Both networks indicate a low degree of diffusion of AI between civilian and defense sectors. A qualitative investigation of project descriptions of a research institute’s work in both civilian and military fields shows that military AI applications stress accuracy or robustness, while civilian AI reflects a focus on human-centric values. Our work represents a first approach by linking processes of technology diffusion with normative evaluations of R&D.

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“…The AI community has been deeply involved with the debate over an international ban on LAWS [51]. Not only is the AI community a relevant expert community for advising on this debate, it is also being directly asked to work on the research and development (R&D) of LAWS [59].…”

Section: Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (Laws)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Activism by the AI Community

Belfield

2020

Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society

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The artificial intelligence (AI) community has recently engaged in activism in relation to their employers, other members of the community, and their governments in order to shape the societal and ethical implications of AI. It has achieved some notable successes, but prospects for further political organising and activism are uncertain. We survey activism by the AI community over the last six years; apply two analytical frameworks drawing upon the literature on epistemic communities, and worker organising and bargaining; and explore what they imply for the future prospects of the AI community. Success thus far has hinged on a coherent shared culture, and high bargaining power due to the high demand for a limited supply of AI 'talent'. Both are crucial to the future of AI activism and worthy of sustained attention.

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The Role of Civilian Innovation in the Development of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

Cited by 21 publications

References 15 publications

Sociotechnical Imaginaries of EU Defence: The Past and the Future in the European Defence Fund

Sociotechnical Imaginaries of EU Defence: The Past and the Future in the European Defence Fund

Dual-Use and Trustworthy? A Mixed Methods Analysis of AI Diffusion Between Civilian and Defense R&D

Activism by the AI Community

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