US Vice President JD Vance has declared that critical decisions of life and death must remain in human hands, not machines, identifying artificial intelligence's potential to transform warfare as his primary concern. Speaking at a US Air Force Academy graduation, he urged cadets to leverage technology for improvement but "never submit to it."
Addressing the graduating class in Colorado, Vance, a Catholic, emphasised their unique role as decision-makers in conflict, advising them to be "jealous and selfish" of this responsibility. His remarks echoed a recent Vatican document issued by the Pope, which called for a reduction in AI competition and robust legal frameworks to govern its development.
The debate over AI's military application extends beyond the US. Warnings have been raised in the UK Parliament regarding the regulation of advanced military technology, particularly with the increasing deployment of drones. Domestically, the future use of AI and associated cybersecurity risks have also fuelled tensions, with reports suggesting a rift within the White House after President Donald Trump withdrew an executive order on emerging technology.
Highlighting the gravity of their future roles, Vance told the air force cadets: "Almost none of them will have your responsibility, quite literally, (for) decisions over life and death." He reiterated his central worry: "The thing I worry about most with AI is how it will change warfare." Supporting the Pope's stance, he encouraged people "not to outsource the most important moral decisions to digital technology."
Vance elaborated on the ethical imperative: "AI will inevitably change warfare, and of course, as you've learned over the last four years, it already has. But one of the things that makes Americans unique, that makes you as war fighters unique is that we wage war justly." He concluded by urging the cadets: "Use technology to make you better, but never submit to it. You are the masters of warfare, and both your minds, but also your hearts, are the opposite of artificial."
