The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in National Security: Defining International Standards and Guidelines


Published: May 23, 2024
Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence National Security International Norms Partnerships International Collaboration International Standards
Christina Meleouni
Iris Panagiota Efthymiou
Abstract

The increasing use of AI in national security emphasizes the need to regulate its ethical and responsible use through international rules and regulations. This article examines the importance of AI to national security, with a particular focus on how it impacts cybersecurity, intelligence gathering, and defense strategies. Even though AI has been contributing in the reinforcement of national security, it still raises moral issues and potential security risks, while the need to create international laws and standards is becoming more and more evident. Moreover, this article assesses the use of AI in national security, highlighting the benefits, drawbacks and need for oversight. In addition to examining governance issues, the importance of integrating safety standards with moral and ethical concerns is emphasized, with a particular focus on international cooperation and the evaluation of current institutions.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Research Articles
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
AI HLEG. (2019, April 8). Ethis Guidelines For Trustworthy AI. Retrieved January 2014, from European Parliament: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/196377/AI%20HLEG_Ethics%20Guidelines%20for%20Trustworthy%20AI.pdf
Aldoseri, A., Al-Khalifa, K. N., & Hamouda, A. M. (2023). Re-thinking data strategy and integration for artificial intelligence: concepts, opportunities, and challenges. Applied Sciences, 13(12), 7082. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13127082
Army War College. (2020, January). Army Force Management Model. Retrieved January 2024, from Army War College: https://ssl.armywarcollege.edu/dclm/pubs/HTAR.pdf
Ben-Israel, I., Cerdio, J., Ema, A., Friedman, L., Ienca, M., Mantelero, A., . . . Vayena, E. (2020, December). Towards Regulation of AI Systems. Global perspectives on the development of a legal framework on Artificial Intelligence systems based on the Council of Europe’s standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Retrieved December 2023, from Council of Europe: https://rm.coe.int/prems-107320-gbr-2018-compli-cahai-couv-texte-a4-bat-web/1680a0c17a
Borgesius, F. (2018). Discrimination, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic. Retrieved from Council of Europe: https://rm.coe.int/discrimination-artificial-intelligence-and-algorithmic-decision-making/1680925d73
Comiter, M. (2019, August). Attacking Artificial Intelligence: AI’s Security Vulnerability and What Policymakers Can Do About It. Retrieved January 2024, from Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School: https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/AttackingAI
Díaz-Rodríguez, N., Del Ser, J., Coeckelbergh, M., de Prado, M. L., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2023). Connecting the dots in trustworthy Artificial Intelligence: From AI principles, ethics, and key requirements to responsible AI systems and regulation. Information Fusion, 99, 101896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2023.101896
Data Science Dojo. (2023, August 2). AI in Cybersecurity: Revolutionizing threat detection and defense. Retrieved January 2024, from Data Science Dojo: https://datasciencedojo.com/blog/ai-in-cybersecurity/#
Deloitte. (n.d.). The Age of With™ - The AI advantage in defence and security. Retrieved January 2024, from Deloitte: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/fi/Documents/public-sector/ca-en-final-aoda-deloitte-ai-defence-security-pov-v2%20(2).pdf
EPA. (2024, March 19). National Security Defined . Retrieved April 2024, from United States Environmental Protection Agency EPA: https://www.epa.gov/national-security/national-security-defined
European Commission. (2021, April 21). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. Laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence act) and amending certain union legislative acts. Retrieved January 2024, from European Commission: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52021PC0206
European Commission. (n.d.). A European approach to artificial intelligence. Retrieved January 2024, from European Commission: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-approach-artificial-intelligence
Federarion of American Scientists. (2021, March 22). The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence’s (NSCAI). Retrieved January 2024, from Federarion of American Scientists: https://irp.fas.org/offdocs/ai-commission.pdf
Felzmann, H., Fosch-Villaronga, E., Lutz, C., & Tamò-Larrieux, A. (2020). Towards transparency by design for artificial intelligence. Science and engineering ethics, 26(6), 3333-3361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-020-00276-4
Fernandez, E. (2024, January 3). AI Is Driving a Silent Cybersecurity Arms Race. Retrieved January 2024, from Government Technology: https://www.govtech.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-is-driving-a-silent-cybersecurity-arms-race
Group of Governmental Experts. (2023, March 10). Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System, CCW/GGE.1/2023/CRP.1. Retrieved January 2024, from: https://docs-library.unoda.org/Convention_on_Certain_Conventional_Weapons_-Group_of_Governmental_Experts_on_Lethal_Autonomous_Weapons_Systems_(2023)/CCW_GGE1_2023_CRP.1_0.pdf
High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence. (2019, April 8). Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. Retrieved January 2024, from European Parliament: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/196377/AI%20HLEG_Ethics%20Guidelines%20for%20Trustworthy%20AI.pdf
ICAI. (2023, February 2). ICAI joins Partnership on AI. Retrieved January 2024, from ICAI: https://icai.ai/icai-joins-partnership-on-ai/
Kavanagh, C. (2019, August 28). New Tech, New Threats, and New Governance Challenges: An Opportunity to Craft Smarter Responses? Retrieved December 2023, from Carnegie Endowment For International Peace: https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/08/28/new-tech-new-threats-and-new-governance-challenges-opportunity-to-craft-smarter-responses-pub-79736
Lee, T. (2023, November 13). Where AI Can Improve National Security. Retrieved January 2024, from Government Technology Insider: https://governmenttechnologyinsider.com/where-ai-can-improve-national-security/
Leslie, D. (2019). Understanding artificial intelligence ethics and safety: A guide for the responsible design and implementation of AI systems in the public sector. Retrieved January 2024, from The Alan Turing Institute: https://www.turing.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-06/understanding_artificial_intelligence_ethics_and_safety.pdf
Mehta, A. (n.d.). The Threat of Facial Recognition Technology. Retrieved January 2024, from United Nations: https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/A6%20-%20Mehta%20-%20The%20Threat%20of%20Facial%20Recognition%20Softwares.pdf
Meleouni, C. (2021). The military use of Artificial Intelligence . Retrieved December 2023, from Πανδημος: http://pandemos.panteion.gr/index.php?op=record&lang=el&pid=iid:21219
Meleouni, C., & Efthymiou, I. (2023). Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its Impact in International Relations. Journal of Politics and Ethics in New Technologies and AI, 2(1), e35803. https://doi.org/10.12681/jpentai.35803
Meltzer, J., & Kerry, C. (2021, February 17). Strengthening international cooperation on artificial intelligence. Retrieved December 2023, from Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/strengthening-international-cooperation-on-artificial-intelligence/
NSTXL. (2024, January 24). How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Future of Military Defense Strategies. Retrieved January 2024, from NSTXL: https://nstxl.org/how-artificial-intelligence-is-changing-the-future-of-military-defense-strategies/
OECD. (2019, May 22). Forty-two countries adopt new OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved January 2024, from OECD: https://www.oecd.org/science/forty-two-countries-adopt-new-oecd-principles-on-artificial-intelligence.htm
OECD. (2022, November 15). Harnessing the power of AI and emerging technologies: Background paper for the CDEP, OECD Publishing. Retrieved January 2024, from Digital Economy Papers, No. 340: https://doi.org/10.1787/f94df8ec-en.
OECD. (2024, March 5). Explanatory memorandum on the updated OECD definition of an AI system. Retrieved April 2024, from OECD iLibrary: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/explanatory-memorandum-on-the-updated-oecd-definition-of-an-ai-system_623da898-en
Partnership On AI. (n.d.). Partnership On AI. Retrieved from Partnership On AI: https://partnershiponai.org/
Rodrigues, R. (2020). Legal and human rights issues of AI: Gaps, challenges and vulnerabilities. Journal of Responsible Technology, 4, 100005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrt.2020.100005
Sanclemente, G. (2023, July). Digital Tools: Safeguarding National Security, Cybersecurity, and AI Bias. Retrieved January 2024, from CEBRI: https://cebri.org/revista/en/artigo/112/digital-tools-safeguarding-national-security-cybersecurity-and-ai-bias
Stahl, B. C., Antoniou, J., Bhalla, N., Brooks, L., Jansen, P., Lindqvist, B., ... & Wright, D. (2023). A systematic review of artificial intelligence impact assessments. Artificial Intelligence Review, 56(11), 12799-12831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-023-10420-8
Tamir, E. (2024, January 2). Transforming Aerospace and Defense: The AI Revolution. Retrieved January 2024, from Defense Update: https://defense-update.com/20240102_2023-leaders-in-military-ai.html
The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence. (2021, November). About GPAI. Retrieved January 2024, from The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence: https://gpai.ai/about/gpai-faq.pdf
The Wassenaar Arrangement. (n.d.). The Wassenaar Arrangement. Retrieved January 2024, from The Wassenaar Arrangement: https://www.wassenaar.org/about-us/#about-us
UN. (2023). Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons . Retrieved January 2024, from United Nations. Office for Disarmament Affairs: https://meetings.unoda.org/ccw-/convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons-group-of-governmental-experts-on-lethal-autonomous-weapons-systems-2023
United Nations. (2023, July 18). International Community Must Urgently Confront New Reality of Generative, Artificial Intelligence, Speakers Stress as Security Council Debates Risks, Rewards. Retrieved January 2024, from United Nations. Meetings Coverage and Press Releases: https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15359.doc.htm
Utilities One. (2023, November 19). Engineering and the Ethics of Regulating Emerging Technologies. Retrieved January 2024, from Utilities One: https://utilitiesone.com/engineering-and-the-ethics-of-regulating-emerging-technologies
Utilities One. (2023, November 26). Innovations in Military Reconnaissance and Intelligence Systems. Retrieved January 2024, from Utilities One: https://utilitiesone.com/innovations-in-military-reconnaissance-and-intelligence-systems
West, D. M., & Allen, J. R. (2018, April 24). How artificial intelligence is transforming the world. Retrieved 2024, from Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-world/
Young, C. (2022, April 19). How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming National Security. Retrieved January 2024, from U.S. Government Accountability Office: https://www.gao.gov/blog/how-artificial-intelligence-transforming-national-security
Yu, S., & Carroll, F. (2021). Implications of AI in National Security: Understanding the Security Issues and Ethical Challenges. In Montasari, R. J. (Ed.). Artificial Intelligence in Cyber Security: Impact and Implications. Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications. Springer, Cham.