DW Weekly #165 – 21 June 2024
Welcome to another issue of the Digital Watch weekly!
Chinese scientists created an AI military commander that mimics human military leaders in various ways, including experience, thought patterns, and personality traits, even incorporating their flaws. The catch is that this AI military commander is strictly confined to a laboratory at the Joint Operations College of the National Defence University in Shijiazhuang, Hebei and used only for virtual war games.
In these simulations, the AI is given significant control, acting as the main decision maker. This allows the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to conduct extensive and varied war games far beyond what would be possible with the limited availability of senior human commanders. The AI’s knowledge base is capped to simulate human forgetfulness. As its memory reaches its limit, older knowledge is discarded, ensuring that only the most relevant information is retained for decision-making.
News coverage claims that AI is forbidden to lead the armed forces in China. This seems to allude to China’s military principle: ‘The Party commands the gun.’ What would stop the Party from commanding AI to command the gun in battle?
International discussions about the use of AI in the military tend to revolve around (lethal) autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) – think missiles, drones, submarines – able to make their own decisions on the battlefield. The GGE on LAWS, for instance, has been discussing issues related to human responsibility for decisions on the use of weapons systems and human-machine interaction. However, the use of AI to completely replace military commanders is, as of yet, an uncharted area.
The G7 Leaders’ Communiqué, published last Friday, also tackled AI. The G7 leaders emphasised the need for a unified approach to manage AI’s benefits and risks. A new action plan to effectively harness AI in the workplace was announced. A credential that can be used to identify organisations supporting the implementation of the Hiroshima Process International Code of Conduct for Organizations Developing Advanced AI Systems is also in the works. Key initiatives include advancing the Hiroshima AI Process, supporting SMEs, and fostering digital inclusion and lifelong learning.
The G7 outlined a strategy to combat cyber threats, focusing on responsible state behaviour, cybersecurity enhancement across sectors, deterrence tools, and building cyber capacities through initiatives like the Cybersecurity Working Group and the Ise-Shima Cyber Group. The G7 reaffirmed support for the UN Program of Action (PoA) on ICTs as the future format for regular institutional dialogue on cybersecurity.
Additionally, the G7 established a Semiconductors G7 Point of Contact Group to coordinate semiconductor industry issues.
Another regional gathering that caught attention was EuroDIG 2024, the European version of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), held on 17–19 June in Vilnius, Lithuania. If you didn’t follow the discussions in real-time, we’ve got you covered with our hybrid reports.
And just yesterday, the Republic of Korea convened a high-level Security Council open debate on cybersecurity as part of its presidency of the Security Council. The debate centred on how the Security Council could address the harmful use of ICT in order to maintain international peace and security.
Andrijana and the Digital Watch team
Highlights from the week of 14 -21 June 2024
The AI Strategy aims to harness AI for development, ensuring ethical use while minimising risks and maximising opportunities.
The report aims to guide policymakers on AI advancements to ensure equitable digital access.
AI’s impact on jobs could widen economic inequality, affecting both white-collar and blue-collar professions.
Washington aims to add 11 more Chinese chipmaking factories to a restricted list and extend controls on additional equipment.
The company claims the divestiture is technologically, commercially, and legally unfeasible and that the law violates free speech rights while unfairly targeting TikTok. However, the US Justice Department defends the legislation, still citing national security concerns.
Kaspersky’s proposed mitigating measures were deemed insufficient, and violations of the new rules will result in fines or criminal charges.
The ongoing ICC investigation could potentially set a legal precedent for cyberwarfare.
The breach, initially blamed on a third-party contractor and a misconfigured firewall, was later traced to an IT service desk operator at Medibank who inadvertently provided a hacker access to the system.
The incident underscores the increasing cyber threats facing the healthcare industry and the vulnerabilities within its infrastructure.
Alphabet’s Google faces a complaint from Austrian group NOYB for allegedly tracking Chrome users without proper consent, despite promoting privacy safeguards.
To bolster Senegal’s digital transformation, Senegal Numérique SA has entered a partnership with the African Digital Development Agency (ADD) to share best practices and enhance the interoperability of government information systems and services.
EuroDIG 2024 was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, from June 17–19. If you couldn’t make it to the conference, don’t fret. DiploAI-generated reports are ready for you to dive into.
Given the profound importance of language and its various disciplines in technological developments, it is crucial to consider how chatbots function as products of advanced technology. Specifically, it contributes to understanding how chatbots learn through algorithmic cognition and how they effectively and accurately respond to diverse user queries reflecting their systems in linguistics studies.
The Leaders of the G7 issued a communiqué after their summit in Apulia, Italy, tackling AI, chips and cybersecurity. Read the communiqué in full.
Pope Francis spoke during the second day of the G7 summit in Borgo Egnazia, Italy, on 14 June, focusing on the ethical implications and potential dangers of AI. Read his speech in full.
