OMNI WAR WATCH WEDNESDAYS, #146, OCTOBER 4, 2023

 

OMNI WAR WATCH WEDNESDAYS, #146, OCTOBER 4,  2023   

NUCLEAR WEAPONS “Andrea Mazzarino, Nuclear Deterrence, Really?” September 28, 2023.  TomDispatch via uark.onmicrosoft.com  . . .Today, as TomDispatch regular Andrea Mazzarino reminds us, not just two but nine countries are nuclear-armed and the possibility of a nuclear war has increased accordingly. In addition, we now know that even a conflict in which the U.S. played no part could create a “nuclear winter” that would devastate this country, too. And yet, despite the recent hit movie Oppenheimer, nuclear fears and fantasies are now largely in absentia. Bert, it seems, ducked, covered, and never came up again. So, I think it’s particularly useful at this moment for Mazzarino to remind us that, 78 years after those two nuclear bombs destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it’s a small miracle that another such weapon hasn’t again been used in war and that, whatever the other dangers on this planet, we should never take our eyes off the nuclear one. Tom  “At the Brink?  Contemplating the Unimaginable Costs of a Nuclear War”  By Andrea Mazzarino Click here to read more of this dispatch. . . .   Robert Weissman, “AI ADDS TO NUCLEAR DANGER: A Note from Public Citizen.”   Public Citizen   9-26-23 . One thing I didn’t mention in my note that is a new area of work for us: artificial intelligence (AI) and the military. Specifically, we’re looking at the frightening prospect of AI-operated weapons autonomously deciding to use lethal force, without human intervention. The most extreme threat, of course, would be empowering AI systems to launch nuclear weapons. Current Pentagon policy requires human authorization of lethal force, but it’s not currently required as a matter of law. We’re supporting legislation by Rep. Ted Lieu, which would prohibit the use of nuclear weapons without human intervention, as one piece of a broader effort on the topic. We’re also currently working on an important research report on AI companies lobbying to get a bigger share of the Pentagon budget – a play that I think will inevitably lead to lobbying for AI authority to use lethal force. We’ll keep you apprised about this work.