Honouarble Mention: New technology, same old strategy: Why artificial superintelligence represents the logical continuation of the US quest for war virtuousness

Authors

  • Gabriel Boulianne Gobeil University of Ottawa

Abstract

Today’s military drones permit an extreme separation between rivals. Along with these weapons comes James Der Derian’s concept of virtuous war, which encapsulates a certain normative view of current and future wars. A rationale of the actors waging these wars is that violence is used in a cleaner way, resulting in ever fewer casualties. I argue that the next step in the progression of military weaponry is the inclusion of artificial superintelligence (ASI). I begin this article by examining certain components that will likely compose ASI. I then use a combination of virtuous war and jus in bello to trace the development of automated weaponry and the conduct of war from afar that characterizes the American ways of war. Finally, I take that trend to a point where virtuous war will reach what could be seen as its logical culmination, namely when ASI is blended into its ways of war.

Author Biography

Gabriel Boulianne Gobeil, University of Ottawa

Gabriel Boulianne Gobeil obtained his BA at Concordia University and his MA at the University of Ottawa where he studied political science and human rights. He specializes in International Relations (IR) and his research interests fall under the umbrella of (critical) security studies, where he investigates the effects of new technologies in military campaigns. His master’s thesis looked at the ethical implications of artificial intelligence on drone warfare and the American counterterrorism strategy. His broader interests are located at the intersection of science fiction and (American) militarism. In September 2015, he will begin doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, where he hopes to understand how new (military) technologies and the ideologies embedded within them shape the ways wars are fought, subsequently prompting scholars to rethink the nature of IR and security studies.

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Published

2015-07-14

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2015)

Section

JMSS Awards of Excellence