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1 1 (September 30, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govegqf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated September 30,2021 Defense Primer: Emerging Technologies Both the 2018National Defense Strategy and seniorU.S. Defense's (DOD's) ChiefInformation Officer. In addition, defense andintelligence officials have identified a number the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 115- of emerging technologies that could have a disruptive 232, § 1051) established a National Security Commis sion on impact on U.S. nationalsecurity in the years to come. These Artificial Intelligence to assess U.S. competitiveness in Al technologies include and offer recommendations to Congress. * artificial intelligence, Lethal Autonomous Weapons * lethal autonomous weapons, Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) are a class of weapon systems capable ofindependently identifying a hypersonic weapons' target and employing an onboardweapon systemto engage * directed energy weapons, and destroy thetarget without manualhumancontrol. * biotechnology, and LAWS require computer algorithms andsensorsuitesto classify an object as hostile, make an engagement decision, * quantumtechnology. and guide a weapon to the target. This capability would enable the systemto operate in communications-degraded As these technolo gies continue to mature, they could hold or -denied environments where traditionalsystems may not significant implications for congressionaloversight, U.S. be able to operate. defense authorizations and appropriations, military concepts of operations, and the future of war. LAWS are not yet in widespread development, and s ome senior military and defense leaders have expressed concems Artificial Intellgence .abouttheethics ofeverfielding such systems. For example, Althoughthereis no official U.S. government definition of in 2017 testimony before the Senate Armed Services artificial intelligence (AI), Al generally refers to a computer Committee, then-Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff systemcapableofhuman-levelcognition.AIiscurrently General PaulSelvastated,Idonotthinkitisreasonable being incorporated into a number of military applications, for us to put robots in charge of whether or not we take a including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; human life. Currently, there are no domestic or logistics; cyber operations; command and control; and international legal prohibitions on the development of semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles. As it develops, LAWS; however, an international group of government AIcould enable new concepts of operations, such as experts has begun to discuss the issue. Approximately 30 swarming (i.e., cooperative behavior in which uninhabited countries have called fora preemptiveban onthe sy stems vehicles autonomously coordinate to achieve a task), that due to ethical considerations, while others have called for could presentboth challenges and opportunities for the U.S. formal regulation or guidelines for development and use. military. DOD Directive 3000.09 establishes department guidelines for the development and fielding of LAWS to ensure that Recent news reports and analy ses have highlighted therole they comply with the law of war, applicable treaties, of AI in enabling increasingly realistic photo, audio, and weap ly syt afe les ar, applicable reesf video digital forgeries, popularly known as deep fakes. weapon systems afety rules, and applicable rules of Adversaries could potentially deploy this Alcapability as engagement part oftheir information operations in a gray zone Hyperson ic Weapons conflict. Deep fake technology could be used against the Hypersonic weapons-which fly at speeds of at least Mach United States and its allies to generate false news reports, 5-are in development in a number of countries, including influence public discourse, erodepublic trust, and attempt the United States. There are two categories ofhypersonic to blackmail diplomats. Some have suggested thatAIcould weapons- be used to create full digital patterns-of-life, in which an individual's digital footprint is mapped against other * Hypersonic glide vehicles (HGV) are launched froma personal information, such as spending habits and job rocket before gliding to a target.(WhenHGs are history, to create comprehensive behavioralprofiles of mated with their rocket booster, theresulting weapon servicemembers, suspected intelligence officers, systems often referred to as a hypersonic boost-glide government officials, andprivate citizens. Similar to deep wepof fakes, this information could, in turn, be used for targeted weapon.) influence operations orblackmail. * Hypersonic cruise missiles (HCM) are powered by high-speed engines throughout the duration of their To coordinate defense-wide Al efforts, the Pentagon flight established the Joint ArtificialIntelligence Center (JAIC, pronouncedjake) in June 2018under the Departmentof

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