Israel’s AI War Machine: The Gospel According to Tech

In a plot twist straight out of a sci-fi epic, Israel has apparently created what can only be described as an “AI factory” for warfare, unleashing it in Gaza with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer in a china shop. Picture this: Israel’s intelligence unit, Unit 8200, didn’t just dabble in AI; they turned it into a full-blown, target-generating beast named “Habsora” or “the Gospel.”

After the unexpected Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the IDF found itself in need of more targets to bomb, faster than you can say “precision strike.” Enter the Gospel, a program with more algorithms than a Silicon Valley startup, churning out potential targets like a printing press on steroids. This AI juggernaut was tasked with refilling the IDF’s target bank, essentially turning warfare into a high-speed, no-human-in-the-loop party.

The IDF has been quite vocal about their AI love affair, boasting about their tech prowess, but a Washington Post investigation peeled back the curtain to reveal the less shiny bits. This AI wasn’t just about making war efficient; it sparked a debate among Israel’s military brass about whether humans were even in the room when decisions were made. The concern? That AI might be deciding who lives or dies with less human oversight than a self-checkout machine at the grocery store.

Critics inside the military whispered that this AI factory was accelerating the body count in Gaza, where the death toll has reached a staggering 45,000, with more than half being women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The IDF, in true bureaucratic fashion, argues over the accuracy of these numbers but stands by their AI saying it’s more precise than a Swiss watch.

The Gospel, along with other AI sidekicks like Lavender, Alchemist, and Hunter, was designed to sift through mountains of data, from satellite images to social media posts, to find those pesky tunnels and rocket launchers. But let’s not forget the human element, or lack thereof. The IDF claims there’s always a human in the loop, but some insiders suggest the loop might be more like a noose for due diligence.

This technological marvel, while praised by some for keeping Israel ahead in the game, has raised eyebrows about how war is changing. The speed at which targets can be identified and the potential for civilian casualties have led to a grim new reality where AI might be calling the shots more than we’d like to admit.

So, as the dust settles in Gaza, one can’t help but wonder if the future of warfare will be decided by code, not by commanders. In Israel, where the AI revolution was embraced like a tech messiah, even the highest ranks are now questioning if they’ve created a digital Goliath that might just be too big to control.

In the end, Israel’s AI warfare experiment might just be the opening act for a global debate on whether our wars will be fought by algorithms or by humans with a conscience.