Everything that goes wrong is likely to go even worse.
This is the philosophy to which António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), is forced to resort, six months after the Gaza war began, following the attack by Hamas on Israeli territory. Guterres said that humanity is “on the verge of absolutely losing faith in global norms and standards”. And he regretted that in this period 196 humanitarian workers have died, including the seven from World Central Kitchen (WCK), the oenagé of chef José Andrés.
But it raised even more alarm that it expressed deep concern over reports that Israel is using artificial intelligence (AI) in its military campaigns in Palestinian territory, a practice it sees as putting civilians and makes accountability even more difficult.
“No part of the life or death decisions that impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of the algorithm”, he emphasized in an appearance before the press.
“For years I have warned of the dangers of turning artificial intelligence into a weapon and reducing the essential role of the human factor,” he said.
“AI should be used as a force for good for the benefit of the world, not to help wage war on an industrial scale by blurring accountability,” he stressed.
The military use of this artificial intelligence tool is emerging as a growing concern as powers like the United States and China rush to incorporate it into their armed forces.
The Israeli military said it has relied on new technology in its campaign to eliminate Hamas in revenge for the 1,200 deaths it caused on October 7. Hamas still today holds a hundred hostages.
According to reports this week, Israel is using an AI program called Lavender to find assassination targets. This strategy, not corroborated by the Netanyahu Government, would have played a key role in the bombing of the Palestinians.
Guterres’ words followed the announcement that Israel had dismissed two of its army officers over the attack on the WCK convoy. The general secretary said that this is not enough, that the system must be changed.
