Anatomy Of An AI Kill Chain
AI warfare is much discussed, but often little understood. Rather than a single overarching programme, military AI today consists of overlapping machine learning algorithms rapidly automating tasks previously carried out by humans. In turn, human oversight and accountability are steadily disappearing. This story portrays a fictional, and simplified, account of an AI-enabled attack. To demystify military AI, we construct an abstract kill chain that reflects an AI targeting cycle. Rather than copying a formal kill chain framework used by a specific state, our schema instead illustrates the tactical activities and decisions involving the use of AI systems through six stages: 1 Sensor and Data , 2 Surveillance , 3 Intelligence and Identification , 4 Selection , 5 Strike , and 6 Post-strike Assessment. Throughout, tech explainers dissect AI technologies, their limitations, and how their breakneck adoption risks deadly errors. Click on me throughout to learn more While the story is fictional
In our story, two neighbouring nations are at war. An advanced military is monitoring a town in the other’s territory, from which the opposing force has launched attacks. Throughout they will be referred to as the Military and the Opposing Army, respectively. Soldiers rely on a decision support system (DSS)—like the one shown on screen—to monitor the area, aid in military decision making, and coordinate operations. Data collection and analysis are instrumental to the AI often used within a DSS. Yet faulty sensor outputs and noisy or mislabelled data can impact the reliability and accuracy…
saved by
related reading
- Measuring AI capabilities in intelligence targeting and conventional weaponsanthropic.com
- Off Target | CNAScnas.org
- Kill Chain - by Kevin Baker - Artificial Bureaucracyartificialbureaucracy.substack.com
- AI 2027ai-2027.com
- What failure looks like — AI Alignment Forumalignmentforum.org
- Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign \ Anthropicanthropic.com
- Countering misuse of AI: September 2026 / Anthropicanthropic.com
- Mechanize War, Inc.mechanizew.ar
- Clawed - by Dean W. Ball - Hyperdimensionalhyperdimensional.co
- Statement from Dario Amodei on our discussions with the Department of War \ Anthropicanthropic.com
- Governing Automated Strategic Intelligencearxiv.org
- Policy Roundtable: Artificial Intelligence and International Security - Texas National Security Reviewtnsr.org