For the modern military, “the artificial intelligence (AI) is presented as the main track of the tactical superiority” and it became ” a major defence priority for the military powers of the Twenty-first century “. In a study published by the French Institute of international relations (IFRI) on this new revolution, a former pilot of the air force, Jean-Christophe Noël, speaks of a “humanism” military threatened. It is not certain, according to him, the robots will still be able to, in accordance with the ” model of the teammate faithful “, to remain ” close associate(s) to a man in charge of a weapons system such as a fighter plane, a tank or a ship.”

The military application of the IA become available and seem to be without limits. They are made possible by the gigantic amounts of data (images, sounds, etc) now accumulated a Burst produces several terabytes of data per hour of flight, and each of the three observation satellites, the French successors of Helios 2 will produce, from 2019, a hundred times more information than the set of those used today by the military. In addition, the algorithms that acquire the novel ability to learn only according to the situations they face. Preparation for the combat simulation, intelligence, targeting, optimization of the soldier… The race has started.

“Hyperwar”

The us defense department has launched nearly 600 projects including the AI, a field in which he comes to announce $ 2 billion (€1.7 billion) investment in the next five years. “An AI called ALPHA, who made his classes in the face of the computer programs of the aerial combats of the Air Force Research Lab, has consistently triumphed over a fighter pilot experienced in October 2015 “, says the expert of the IFRI. The american pilot testified : “…