Forbes:
A recurring theme throughout science fiction dystopia is the idea of nations handing control over their arsenals to AI systems which eventually become self-aware and turn those weapons against their own government. While self-aware AI systems are still quite a way off, the idea of militaries handing increasing control over defensive weapons systems to AI is becoming ever closer to reality as modern weapons are closing the response time gap. The rise of hypersonic weapons, with just minutes between launch and impact, may be the development that pushes countries to begin exploring automating their missile defense systems.
The correlative deep learning systems of today are a far cry from the sentient and adaptable general intelligences of Hollywood. At the same time, today’s AI is more than capable of taking on counterstrike responsibility, monitoring a nation’s air defense and global launch monitoring systems to autonomously respond to incoming existential threats before human military decision-makers are even aware there is a problem.
