Speaker: Kenneth Payne, Professor of Strategy, Defence Studies Department

Can Artificial Intelligence make strategic choices, and do they look anything like human ones?

Until now, decisions about and in war have been taken almost entirely by humans. Outside of sci-fi films, like WarGames, computers haven't been anywhere near sophisticated enough to do much in strategy.

Here, I outline our ongoing research into machine decision-making in military scenarios. Using dynamic crisis simulations, we are exploring aspects of strategic theory - including deterrence, compellence and escalation. Early findings point to a distinctive 'machine psychology' that is in some respects similar to humans - with biases and heuristics; but in others very different.

In this talk, I'll outline our findings, and discuss the implications for future strategists.

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Kenneth Payne is Professor of Strategy at King’s College London, where he researches the role of Artificial Intelligence in national security. He’s the author of four books on strategy, most recently I Warbot: The Dawn of Artificially Intelligent Conflict. This book looked ahead to the battlefield of the near future and considered the prospects for creative artificial strategists. I Warbot was named a book of the year by The Economist newspaper and the leading academic journal, International Affairs.

Professor Payne is a Commissioner of the Global Commission for Responsible AI in the Military Domain. He is the Specialist Advisor to the UK Parliament’s Defence Committee for its work on AI. He contributed to the US National Security Commission on AI, and has been invited to consult with the UN Secretary General’s high-level advisory body on AI.

Please note: This event will be held live online via Microsoft Teams, and in-person at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. In-person attendance is limited to guests with authorised access to the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. The event is free to attend but in-person spaces are limited, so register now to secure your spot!

For those joining online, the MS Teams link will be sent by email two days before the event.