Pentagon adopts 'ethical principles' for artificial intelligence use

The Pentagon announced Monday it has adopted "ethical principles" for the use of artificial intelligence by the armed forces, a measure aimed at convincing US tech giants to collaborate with the military.

"AI technology will change much about the battlefield of the future, but nothing will change America's steadfast commitment to responsible and lawful behavior," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in a statement.

The Pentagon, which regularly criticizes the use of facial recognition technology by police in China, has pledged to establish "explicit, well-defined uses" for AI technology, according to the statement.

Such technology, which learns through experience the skills necessary to complete its assigned tasks, will also be "reliable" and have transparent systems of use, the Pentagon statement said.

As a result, AI technology will be "governable": the military will have "the ability to disengage or deactivate deployed systems that demonstrate unintended behavior."
"If we had had the AI ethics principles three years ago (when launching Maven), and we were transparent about what we were trying to do and why we were trying to do it, maybe we would have had a different outcome,"