Command and Control

Promethean Shame


Listen Later

There is a tendency (particularly in militaries) to view machines as less fallible than humans. The rapid and passionate adoption and use of AI tools in military headquarters is a notable manifestation of machine/automation bias: to operate at machine speed is viewed by many in uniform as the panacea and—according to doctrine—offers those with it a preordained right to victory. The critical lessons identified in the IDF use of 'Lavender' and 'Where's Daddy?' in Gaza from 2024, and apparently now built into the US military's MAVEN tool, have been ignored. According to Dr Elke Scharwz, militaries really need to start understanding and embracing human agency in decision-making: something that was present for millennia but is now actively being forgotten as AI tools and systems replace people. The lack of friction, debate, argument, dissension, and human discussion over targets and targeting should concern us all. As humans feel increasingly inferior to the AI tools they create, the old idea of Promethean Shame raises its head again: Elke advocates taking back control of technology instead of simply adapting ourselves to it. Per Christopher Coker "We must choose our tools carefully, not because they are inhumane (all weapons are) but because the more we come to rely on them, the more they shape our view of the world". Warrior Geeks (Hurst, 2013).

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Command and ControlBy Peter Roberts

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

11 ratings


More shows like Command and Control

View all
War on the Rocks by Ryan Evans

War on the Rocks

1,065 Listeners

Main Engine Cut Off by Anthony Colangelo

Main Engine Cut Off

290 Listeners

Modern War Institute by Modern War Institute at West Point

Modern War Institute

791 Listeners

Defense One Radio by Defense One staff

Defense One Radio

147 Listeners

Net Assessment by The Stimson Center

Net Assessment

428 Listeners

WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk by Goalhanger

WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

1,415 Listeners

Irregular Warfare Podcast by Irregular Warfare Initiative

Irregular Warfare Podcast

399 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,506 Listeners

Global Security Briefing by The Royal United Services Institute

Global Security Briefing

26 Listeners

School of War by The Free Press

School of War

503 Listeners

Battleground by Goalhanger

Battleground

350 Listeners

This Means War by Peter Roberts

This Means War

23 Listeners

Talking Strategy by Royal United Services Institute

Talking Strategy

25 Listeners

Politics At Sam and Anne's by Sky News

Politics At Sam and Anne's

37 Listeners

The General & the Journalist by The Times

The General & the Journalist

29 Listeners