Why Human Control Isn't Enough in Military AI with Heidy Khlaaf

In this episode of Responsible Bytes, Dr. Zena Assaad speaks with Heidy Khlaaf, Chief AI Scientist at the AI Now Institute, about why military AI systems are far less reliable than their marketing suggests, especially in safety-critical and combat settings. They unpack the gap between “accuracy” as a narrow model metric and real-world performance, explaining how opaque, brittle systems, automation bias, outdated data, and poor interoperability can lead to serious mistakes while obscuring accountability. The conversation also explores the power dynamics behind the push for AI in warfare, including what Heidy characterises as a “safety theatre,” version-control concerns, and how companies and governments normalise speed over caution. Overall, the episode is a sharp critique of the idea that AI can safely replace human judgment in high-stakes environments, and a call for more skepticism, technical rigor, and accountability in how these systems are deployed. More about our guest:📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hak90/📘LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidy-khlaaf/🔵BlueSky: https://www.heidyk.com/🌐Website: https://www.heidyk.com/More about our host:📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zena_assaad/📘LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-zena-assaad/🔵BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/zenaassaad.bsky.social🌐Website: https://www.zenaassaad.com/Watch or listen to more episodes:🍎 https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/responsible-bytes/id1800177424🔊 https://open.spotify.com/show/2x2yNvU6OY1LBLX1TsuAfB Or find us anywhere else you get your podcasts!Follow us online:📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/responsiblebytespodcast/📘LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/responsible-bytes-podcast/🌐Website: https://www.zenaassaad.com/responsible-bytes-podcast