AI Is Going To War

This episode of Thinking on Paper, we look at how artificial intelligence is moving from military planning into intelligence analysis, targeting and battlefield operations.Using a White House memorandum on America’s military AI strategy, Mark and Jeremy explore the push to build an AI-first warfighting force. The objective is to process information, identify threats and execute decisions faster than an adversary. That creates a central conflict between military speed and human control.In this episode, we discuss:How AI is being used in modern warfareWhat Project Maven doesHow AI supports intelligence analysis and military targetingWhat the military kill chain isHow AI could accelerate decisions across the kill chainThe development of autonomous weapons systemsWhether humans will remain involved in lethal decisionsHow AI-generated intelligence could produce false or misleading conclusionsWhy the United States sees China as its principal military AI competitorThe role of companies such as Anthropic and defence technology firmsWhat an open AI arsenal could mean for military procurementWhy the Pentagon is competing for AI researchers and engineersWhether faster military systems make conflict less likely or easier to escalateAI could help militaries process large volumes of data, identify targets more precisely and reduce the time between detection and response. It could also compress decision-making to the point where human review becomes a strategic disadvantage.The central question isn’t only whether military AI works. It’s who controls these systems when speed becomes the priority, and who remains accountable when intelligence, targeting and battlefield decisions are executed through software.Please enjoy the show.--🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: [email protected](00:00) Department of War(00:58) Executive Order 14179(01:59) China(04:36) Anthropic(07:20) Pace Setting Projects(08:28) Kill Chain (10:22) Palmer Luckey(11:53) The AI Open Arsenal(13:57) The War Time Approach(16:46) AI Talent Acquisition (18:54) Speed wins