Israel Defence Forces uses AI in military operations

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have started to employ AI in selecting targets for air strikes and coordinating logistics in military operations as tensions grow in the occupied territories and with Iran, according to Bloomberg. The IDF uses an AI recommendation system to analyse large amounts of data and choose airstrike targets. Another AI model called Fire Factory can help to assemble air raids by calculating munition loads, prioritising targets, assigning them to aircraft and drones, and proposing a schedule.

Human operators oversee both systems, approving individual targets and air raid plans. However, there are currently no international or state-level regulations governing the use of this technology. Some experts argue that advanced algorithms can surpass human capabilities and minimise casualties, while critics raise concerns about the potential deadly consequences of relying on increasingly autonomous systems.

Last month, it was reported that Israel’s Shin Bet security service incorporates AI to foil threats.

The secretive nature of AI tool development has raised concerns about the potential shift from semi-autonomous systems to fully automated killing machines. Critics worry that machines could locate and strike targets without human decision-making involvement. Additionally, the rapid adoption of AI has outpaced research into its inner workings, and proprietary algorithms developed by private companies and militaries lack transparency in how they reach conclusions.