Israel has been using AI in the war against Hamas terrorists. IDF officials. This was confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces' Military Intelligence Directorate in the first week of November after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
IDF's military intelligence branch said that this is the first time they'll be using artificial intelligence and other new advanced tools in a war.
An Israeli army soldier stretches wide an Israeli national flag while standing atop the turret of a Merkava battle tank as a column of tanks is amassed in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 11, 2023.
Will Israel's AI usage help reduce unwanted civilian casualties and collateral damage? Here's what experts said about this effort.
How Israel's AI Usage Can Reduce Unwanted Civilian Casualties
According to Fox News' latest report, Israel Defense Forces officials said that they started using artificial intelligence and ML (machine learning) to target Hamas terrorists and facilities more efficiently.
They began using AIs and MLs as many people across the globe criticize Israel for the unwanted civilian casualties and collateral damage in the Gaza Strip because of their attacks.
Mark Montgomery, a senior Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation fellow, said that although the duration of the Israel-Hamas war is still unknown, using AIs and MLs can definitely help.
"I can't predict how long the Gaza operation will take, but the IDF's use of AI and Machine Learning (ML) tools can certainly assist in the administratively burdensome targeting identification, evaluation, and assessment process," said Montgomery.
He added that just like the United States, the Israel Defense Forces is doing its best to avoid civilian casualties and reduce collateral damage. To do this, Israel is relying on artificial intelligence to enhance its targeting process against Hamas terrorists.
"AI tools should help in target identification efforts, expediting target review and approval," further stated Montgomery.
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About Israel's AI Usage
Family and friends of fallen IDF soldier Afik Rozental, who died in a battle with Hamas militants, attend his funeral on October 9, 2023 in Kfar Menachem, Israel. On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza by land, sea, and air, killing over 700 people and wounding more than 2000.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the IDF employed an AI recommendation system, which can choose targets for aerial attacks.
Aside from this, a second system called "Fire Factory" is also being used. This additional model is developed to quickly organize ensuing raids.
IDF officials explained that its AI technologies rely on data about military-approved targets to prioritize and assign thousands of targets to aircraft; calculate munition loads; and propose bombardment schedules.
However, many experts are concerned about Israel's AI usage. Paul Scharre, the Center for a New American Security president, said that AI systems are "notoriously" brittle and ineffective when they are placed in situations different from their data training.
While this is true, other military experts said that the use of AI and ML tools can be beneficial in reducing unwanted deaths and damages.
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