Chapter 11:

War and Robots

For now, actual uses of AI in the theater of war today remain mostly prosaic — the military is exploring its options with autonomously driven tanks, for example — although given the rapid speed with which ChatGPT and other generative AI tools have been improving (not to mention captivating users’ imaginations), the emergence of malicious AI cannot be ruled out.

Mobility in the military and homeland security arena comprises several areas that seem more science fiction than contemporary reality — but in another 30 years, really the sky’s the limit. In this chapter, we’ll look at:

  • Autonomous “dogs” and other types of robots.
  • Drones — military uses and “drones for good.”
  • Robo-roaches (yes, that’s a thing).
  • Self-driving tanks and military machinery.
  • Artificial intelligence in the battlefield.
  • Whether artificial intelligence in mobility can make warfare less deadly.