Artificial Intelligence in National Security

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fast-moving field, with dramatic research breakthroughs emerging regularly. Many of these have utility for national security actors, whether in the military, intelligence agencies, or policy-making communities. Accordingly, AI has a longstanding and deepening connection with national security. This course will help to contextualise these developments. It will explore the striking changes that AI is bringing to national security, including to military tactics and strategy and will investigate the ways in which culture shapes the employment of AI. It will also consider some ethical implications of AI in national security affairs.

This is a self-paced online course where students can access and work through the material at their own convenience. You will have access to the course for 3 months. 

The aims of this course are to:

• Introduce students to developments in AI research
• Explore the implications of this research for national security, including its employment in military and intelligence activities
• Examine the ways in which culture shapes the creation and employment of AI
• Explore the ethical implications of AI in national security and the scope for regulation

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Identify key themes in AI research, particularly as they relate to national security       
• Contextualise the historical and ongoing relationship between national security actors and AI research
• Explore the implications of AI technologies for national security activities, including military tactics, intelligence gathering and analysis and strategy formulation
• Critically evaluate the connection between culture and AI research and employment       
• Critically engage with ongoing debates about the ethics of AI in national security affairs. 

No formal education or professional requirements, however, all learning will be delivered in English, therefore we recommend minimum IELTS Level 6 for learners to get the most from the spoken and written content.