Senior Army Officer Says AI Weapons Need to be Safe so Armed Forces can ‘Sleep at Night’

Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said AI could also be used to carry out tasks and keep humans “out of harm’s way.”
Senior Army Officer Says AI Weapons Need to be Safe so Armed Forces can ‘Sleep at Night’
A Phalanx gun—which contains autonomous weapon capability—is fired by gunners on board HMS Albion during a NATO exercise in the Baltic Sea on June 7, 2019. Ministry of Defence
|Updated:
0:00

A senior army officer has told a parliamentary committee the armed forces have to have confidence in weapons which rely on artificial intelligence (AI) if they are to “sleep at night.”

Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes, the deputy commander of the UK Strategic Command, was giving evidence to the House of Lords’ AI in weapons committee on Thursday and was asked a question by Lord Hamilton, a former Conservative MP, who referred to an incident earlier this year.
Chris Summers
Chris Summers
Author
Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in crime, policing and the law.
Related Topics