Artificial intelligence e Difesa italiana. Quo vadis?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly pervasive in the defence sector. The rapid and large-scale development of AI-enabled drones is putting traditional military procurement models under growing pressure. Trends in AI and drone technologies are mutually reinforcing, further accelerating the pace of technological innovation. Against this backdrop, there is a need to integrate AI into the development of new platforms as well as into the upgrade of legacy systems. Two additional areas are also gaining increasing importance. The first concerns the use of AI for command and control (C2) and planning at the tactical, operational and strategic levels. The second relates to the use of AI to support cyber defence, including advanced and proactive forms of defence in the cyber domain. Finally, the importance of training military personnel, both in relation to the use of AI and to their contribution to its development in order to meet the specific requirements of the armed forces, should be addressed. An issue cutting across all these areas is the ethical dimension of AI, particularly with regard to keeping humans in the decision-making process, especially when decisions concern the “kill chain”, and the implications for effectiveness when facing adversaries with different ethical approaches.

With the support of Accenture S.p.A., IAI organised a closed-door roundtable at its premises to discuss these issues on the basis of an introductory briefing. The objective was to draw attention to the opportunities offered by AI in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, while also examining the security and political-military control challenges that the armed forces of NATO countries need to address.