With technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, militaries worldwide are exploring the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen their capabilities. While advanced nations like the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia — through their AUKUS alliance — have announced plans to integrate resilient and autonomous AI into national programs by the end of 2024, developing countries in Asia and Africa are also incorporating AI, albeit on a more basic level. Across the board, AI is reshaping modern warfare, transforming everything from strategic planning and decision-making to battlefield tactics. This article examines critical areas where AI is expected to influence military strategies and tactics, highlighting both its transformative potential and the imperative for responsible implementation.

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)

AI’s ability to process vast data streams and perform real-time analysis is revolutionising countries’ ISR capabilities. Traditionally, ISR operations relied on human analysts who sifted through data from satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and ground sensors. However, AI now enables real-time data processing, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling, significantly enhancing situational awareness and strategic planning. AI-incorporated systems rapidly analyse satellite imagery, UAV data, and other sensor feeds, providing near-instantaneous intelligence updates that help military forces understand battlefield dynamics.

More than improving situational awareness, AI’s predictive capabilities offer a strategic advantage. Machine learning models trained on historical data and patterns anticipate enemy movements and detect potential threats in real-time, enabling proactive defence strategies. The Russia-Ukraine war shows value of AI use in modern warfare, whereby Palantir software was responsible for most targeting in Ukraine, and Pentagon use of AI machine learning used in ISR helped Ukrainian military repel Russian attacks. Autonomous reconnaissance systems, such as Chinese mimicry “dove” drones, can venture into high-risk or inaccessible areas to gather critical intelligence without endangering personnel. Athena AI, an Australian company, has produced a system to detect people wearing military uniform and carrying arms, subsequently put them on a map for easy detecting. These AI technologies give military personnel comprehensive and detailed understanding of their operational surroundings systems, enhancing data collection and monitoring to adapt to rapidly changing battlefield environments with greater accuracy and efficiency.

Autonomous Systems

The development of autonomous and semi-autonomous military systems marks a significant milestone in modern warfare. These systems include unmanned vehicles (UVs), drones, and robotic ground units, enabling them to operate with little or no human oversight. The deployment of autonomous systems allows militaries to extend their operational reach and conduct missions in areas previously deemed too dangerous for human soldiers.

Swarm technology, in which AI coordinates the actions of multiple drones or robotic systems to function as a cohesive unit, represents another revolutionary application of AI in conflict. Swarm operations create a force multiplier effect, allowing dozens or more drones to conduct a shared mission, such as area reconnaissance, electronic warfare, or coordinated strikes. Automated targeting systems, another significant advancement, enable precise engagement with minimal collateral damage.

Germany’s Rheinmetall has produced mid-sized UV Mission Master-CTX that can autonomously find targets and launch weapon to destroy them. Meanwhile, the UK is building AI-governed submarine in its Plymouth dock using MarineAI technology that will be the first extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle able to operate 3,000 miles for three months away from home. It will be used for electronic territory close to a hostile navy. However, its first batch will have limitation on its ability to match human decision-making skills.

Decision-Making and Command

In military operations, rapid decision-making is often the difference between success and failure. AI plays a pivotal role in augmenting decision support systems by synthesising data into actionable insights, which military leaders can use to make informed choices faster and more accurately. AI models assist in evaluating various scenarios, predicting outcomes, and recommending optimal responses. Certain AI models when allowed can cut through military hierarchical chain, integrating real-time intelligence across levels of command, reduce redundancies, and streamline tactical responses. Australia, the UK and the US are co-developing AI technology to support target detection and decision-making under AUKUS Pillar II cooperation, conducting tests and refining abilities to work together.

There is a concern globally in giving AI full autonomy on military decision-making, as expressed in December 2023 UN resolution. Subsequently, in March 2024, the UN urged all member states to avoid or discontinue the use of AI systems that cannot be operated in accordance with international human rights law or that present excessive risks to human rights. The US is a major power country that issued government parameters through Executive Order and Memorandum on safe, secure and trustworthy AI, which include direction to use AI safely, ethically and effectively in mission to counter adversaries’ AI application and during military operations within a responsible human chain of command and control.

Cyber and Information Operations

In the digital age, cyber and information operations have become critical consideration, and AI amplifies both offensive and defensive capabilities in this domain. Primary usage examples of AI in cyber and information warfare are automated threat detection, finding evasive malicious codes or scanning suspicious code, and help identify attempts to manipulate citizens through disinformation campaigns. With automated threat detection, military forces can secure communications, protect logistical networks, and ensure the integrity of command systems, which are increasingly reliant on digital platforms.

Offensively, AI enables precision-targeted cyberattacks that disrupt enemy infrastructure and weaken their operational capabilities. For example, AI algorithms can identify vulnerabilities within enemy communications, logistics, and command structures, and execute tailored attacks that disrupt these systems. However, there is also a concern for the AI military system being deceived through poisoning data set and tricking detector, as articulated by the Swedish Armed Forces’ Cyber Defence.

Logistics and Resource Allocation

Sustained military operations depend on efficient logistics and resource management, areas where AI has a transformative impact. AI-optimised predictive systems allow militaries to foresee equipment needs, schedule repairs, and minimise downtime, thereby extending the operational lifespan of critical assets. This predictive maintenance approach reduces repair costs and increases the availability of resources for mission-critical tasks. Furthermore, AI supports strategic resource allocation by analysing current and future needs, allowing commanders to deploy resources efficiently and minimise waste. In situations where supplies are limited, AI can recommend the most effective allocation strategies, ensuring that essential items are prioritised and delivered where they are most needed.

An American-based civilian company C3 AI supports military logistics by adapting its technology for use by the US military. One notable application is its predictive maintenance solution for the US Air Force, which consolidates extensive data from inventories, maintenance records, and the numerous sensors to conserve fuel use and increase efficiency.

Going forward

There are transformative potentials of AI in shaping war strategies and battle tactics, but also bring about challenges and ethical dilemmas. The integration of AI in warfare introduces complex ethical and legal challenges that demand attention, such as, the lethal autonomous weapons capable of making life-and-death decisions without human intervention. AI systems also carry the risk of bias and error from their captured data that may be limited in time and scope. In a military context, such biases could result in dangerous misinterpretations of enemy actions or mistakes in target identification, potentially leading to civilian casualties. As such, human-AI teaming is a collaborative approach that is currently pursued.

The long-term implications of AI by the military require forward-looking policies and collaboration between nations. One of the primary challenges is ensuring interoperability among partnering forces, as AI systems must communicate seamlessly across different countries’ military infrastructures to enable joint operations. Building interoperable systems enhances coordination and allows allies to collaborate effectively, particularly in complex, multi-national operations. Advance and like-minded countries have done so through AUKUS, but the partnership needs to be broadened to ensure AI in the military is use as force for good. The Seol Summit held in September 2024 is an excellent avenue to establish a framework for responsible use of AI in the military, and it has successfully issued “blueprint for action” with over 60 countries in support. Obviously, only time will tell the blueprint implementation. As AI becomes an integral part of military operations, maintaining balance between innovation and accountability will be essential to ensuring that AI serves as a tool for stability and peace.