Use of Artificial Intelligence in Military Operations and Doctrinal Discipline
While AI-supported systems used in military operations provide speed and data advantages, they weaken human judgment and lead to overreliance.
The use of AI-supported decision support systems in military operations is addressed within the context of the Joint Targeting Cycle. While AI tools provide speed and data advantages, they weaken human judgment by creating algorithmic mediation and automation bias.
Artificial Intelligence and the Battlefield
Project Maven and similar AI-supported decision support systems process intelligence at speeds human personnel cannot match and assist in target identification on the modern battlefield.
The recent conflict with Iran clearly demonstrates both the potential and the risks presented by AI-supported targeting; commanders retain legal authority over the use of force while artificial intelligence accelerates the process.
The Joint Targeting Cycle
The Joint Targeting Cycle is a six-phase methodology designed to translate a commander's objectives into military action through deliberate analysis and reasoning.
Each phase depends on evaluations made in the previous phase, making human intuition an integral part of the methodology.
Algorithmic Mediation
Current research on human-AI dynamics indicates that existing systems shape recommendations by algorithmically intervening before they reach human operators.
The primary risk, rather than the artificial intelligence itself, is the tendency to compress, skip, or reinterpret a proven doctrinal process.
Automation Bias
Current debates equate human control solely with target approval authority, whereas this is merely the final stage of a much longer analytical chain.
Automation bias causes humans to accept machine recommendations with limited scrutiny, which leads to accumulated cognitive uncertainty.
Four Illusions in Artificial Intelligence Targeting
The article discusses in detail four major illusions regarding AI-based targeting that undermine human judgment and the risks they pose.
These illusions lead to superficial human oversight and the gradual acceptance of a diminished capacity for independent reasoning.