Artificial intelligence is changing how countries protect themselves. It is crucial for cybersecurity, weapons development, border control and even public discourse. While it provides huge strategic benefits, it also introduces many risks. This article explores how AI can reshape security, current results, and the challenging questions raised by these new technologies.
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Cybersecurity: The Battle between AI and AI
Most attacks today begin in cyberspace. Criminals no longer hand-written all phishing emails. They use language models to draft messages that sound friendly and natural. In 2024, a gang used a deep video in which a CFO stole $25 million from his own company. The video looked so realistic that the staff undoubtedly followed fake orders. Attackers now feed large language models with leaked resumes or LinkedIn data to create personal bait. Some groups even use Generative AI to create software errors or write malware snippets.
Defenders also use artificial intelligence to protect these attacks. Security teams provide AI tools for web logs, user clicks and global threat reports. The software learns “normal” activities and warns when something suspicious happens. When an intrusion is detected, the AI system disconnects the suspicious computer to limit the damage to spread if a human responds slowly.
AI has also stepped onto the physical battlefield. In Ukraine, drones use onboard vision to find fuel trucks or radar sites before explosions. The United States has used AI to help identify air strike targets in places like Syria. Israel’s military recently used an AI target selection platform to classify thousands of aerial images to mark potentially radical hiding places. China, Russia, Türkiye and the United Kingdom have tested “wandering ammunition”, which are a region until the AI discovers the target. These technologies can make military operations more accurate and reduce the risk of soldiers. But they also attracted serious attention. Who is responsible when the algorithm selects the wrong target? Some experts are worried about the “flash war”, where machines react too quickly to prevent them. Many experts have called for international rules to control automatic weapons, but the state is worried if they stop and fall behind.
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Surveillance and intelligence
Intelligence services once relied on teams of analysts to read reports or watch video feeds. Today, they rely on AI to filter millions of images and messages every hour. In some countries, such as China, AI tracks citizens’ behavior, from small things like JayWalking to their online work. Similarly, on the U.S.-Mexico border, solar towers with cameras and thermal sensors are empty deserts. The AI discovers a moving character, marks a human or animal, and then reminds the patrol. This “virtual wall” covers a vast ground that humans can never see alone.
Although these tools expand coverage, they also amplify errors. Facial recognition systems have been shown to mistakenly believe that women with darker skin are taller than white men. A single false match can result in innocent people facing additional examination or detention. Policymakers require reviewed algorithms, clear appeal paths and human review before taking strong actions.
Modern conflict is not only carried out through missiles and code, but also with narratives. In March 2024, a fake videotape showed the Ukrainian president ordering soldiers to surrender. It spreads online before fact checkers debunk it. During the Israel-Hamas battle in 2023, AI shared counterfeits favored one side’s policies flooded social flows to tilt opinions.
False information spreads faster than the government. This is especially problematic in elections, where AI-generated content is often used to swing voters. Voters find it difficult to distinguish between real and AI-generated images or videos. Even though governments and tech companies are working on anti-AI projects to scan AI’s digital fingerprints, the game is tense. Creators’ fakes are as fast as defenders improve filters.
The military and agencies collect a large amount of data, including drone video, maintenance logs, satellite images and open source reports. AI helps by classifying and highlighting relevant information. NATO recently adopted a system inspired by the US Maven project. It links databases from 30 member states to provide planners with a unified view. The system indicates that the enemy’s movement may and determine potential supply shortages. The U.S. Special Operations Command uses AI to help draft parts of the annual budget by scanning invoices and reassigning suggestions. Similar AI platforms can predict engine failures, schedule repairs in advance, and customize flight simulations based on the needs of individual pilots.
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Law enforcement and border control
Police forces and immigrants are using AI for ongoing missions to focus on. At busy airports, biometric kiosks confirm the identity of travelers to improve the efficiency of the process. Pattern analysis software selects travel records for trafficking to humans or drug smuggling. In 2024, a European partner used such tools to reveal a moving immigrant through a cargo ship. These tools can make boundaries safer and help capture criminals. But there are also concerns. Facial recognition sometimes fails due to the low number of people in some strata, which can lead to errors. Privacy is another issue. The key question is whether AI should be used to monitor everyone so closely.
Bottom line
AI is changing national security in many ways, with both opportunities and risks. It can protect the state from cyber threats, make military operations more accurate and improve decision-making. But it can also spread lies, invade privacy or make fatal mistakes. As AI becomes more common in security, we need to find a balance between leveraging its power and controlling its dangers. This means countries must work together and set clear rules on how to use AI. Finally, AI is a tool that how we use it will redefine the future of security. We have to use it carefully and wisely, so it can help us far more than hurt us.
