ICYMI: Kelly Writes Washington Times Op-Ed on Keeping Humans in Command as AI Transforms Warfare

“A pilot still needs to be able to complete the mission when the automation fails. Tomorrow’s warfighters must be able to recognize when an AI system is giving them bad information and know how to continue the mission without it.” This week, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly published an op-ed in The Washington Times emphasizing the need to keep human judgment and accountability at the center of the military’s growing use of AI. Drawing on his experience as a Navy combat pilot and astronaut, Kelly highlighted legislation he introduced to ensure servicemembers can recognize when AI systems fail, continue operating without them, and maintain human oversight of critical military decisions. Kelly introduced the Ultimate Human Responsibility in Defense Systems Act and the Warfighter AI Readiness and Preparedness (WARP) Act in June. Click here to read the full op-ed. See key excerpts below: On recognizing AI as a tool and understanding its limitations Artificial intelligence is already changing warfare. […] But after 25 years in the Navy as a combat and test pilot and 15 years as an astronaut, I know having the most advanced technology doesn’t guarantee success. Technology is a tool. What matters is whether our people know how to use it, understand its limitations and can still accomplish the mission when it fails. On introducing the Warfighter AI Readiness and Preparedness Act While we need to have the most capable systems, we can’t lose sight of these two principles: our service members must be able to fight when technology fails, and human judgment and responsibility must be at the center of decisions about the use of force. So first, we need the Department of Defense to assess how reliance on AI affects readiness, identify the skills most impacted by AI and determine how service members keep the judgment they need when those systems are unavailable or compromised. That’s the idea behind my bipartisan Warfighter AI Readiness and Preparedness (WARP) Act, that I introduced with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. On introducing the Ultimate Human Responsibility in Defense Systems Act Tomorrow’s warfighters must be able to recognize when an AI system is giving them bad information and know how to continue the mission without it. Because while AI can assist human judgment, it cannot replace human responsibility, including for the use of force. For that reason, we also need a permanent requirement for human judgment and accountability when autonomous weapons and AI systems are involved in the use of force, which is part of my Ultimate Human Responsibility in Defense Systems Act. On the opportunity to maintain America’s military superiority Our goal should be a military in which AI allows a service member to understand the battlefield faster, make better decisions and accomplish missions that would otherwise be impossible while still possessing the training, experience and judgment to recognize when technology is wrong and take control. The countries that figure out that balance will have a major advantage. That edge is ours for the taking.