by Fateh Najeeb Bhatti 2 August 2021
While the trajectory of humanitarian progress associated with the efficiency of modern knowledge and advancement in technology stays at large yet the dangerous usage of modern tools and techniques is still raising suspicions about the productivity of these essentials in a certain way. Hence the debate over empathetic and pathetic artificial intelligence (AI) is thought-provoking with diverse potential benefits as well as threats to humanity. We have become quite familiar with different innovative technological advancements ranging from cell phones, gaming, and science fiction-based entertainment industries to drone-like devices. Modern Human progress in different fields is no doubt indebted to the latest and innovative scientific and technological researches and manufacturing easing out our lives. Our ancestors had no idea about the present luxuries including the latest medication, electricity, internet, air crafts, automobiles, electronic media, and the list goes on with uncountable gadgets, products, and facilities, etc. Now the mankind is working on shifting life towards Mars with the latest space explorations. Alongside these immeasurable successes, there are certain negative outcomes of these innovations. The use of nuclear weapons, CBWs, AI in modern warfare is raising many questions along with the existing traditional and nontraditional security threats to humanity especially in the globalized tech world of today.
No doubt there have been many efforts from arms control to disarmament along with significant arrangements for the prohibition of lethal weapons usage with the increasing role of international organizations in international affairs. Nevertheless, the complex nature of the international system, global power distribution and capabilities, realist configuration and specific interest-oriented intentions being customary in the modern state systems are posing serious threats to global peace and human security.
Similarly, along with nuclear proliferation, cybersecurity has been the hottest topic in current debates. The advent of artificial intelligence has further revolutionized the world which involves certain tools and techniques including smartphones, speech recognition tools, supercomputers, robotics, drones, guided missiles, unmanned vehicles, satellites, radars, lasers, and many more unimaginable devices and weapons.
To a considerable degree through the economic orientation of global politics has shifted the focus of power structure notwithstanding that the latest inventions and practices of strengthening military means are still on the rise when it comes to assessing the rival’s capabilities and counter-strategies.
Simultaneously intra state power structures and governments following different political systems of nation-states are showing their dependency on AI for better assessing the general public’s nerves through social media and e-controlling and managing with innovative methodologies. Though portrayed as common and national interest often associated with such practices but limiting individual liberties, obstructing transparency and showing distorted facts are no more a myth in certain cases without discrimination of first or third world states these days. By and large authoritarian trends in certain democratic states, political polarization in third world countries mainly, electoral processes, and propaganda mechanisms including media globally are full of such examples. Rather much needed positive usage of AI in state crafts for improving governance is missing mostly through e-portals, Chatbots and digitalization is underway in some countries. Much more can be achieved through predictive analytics, data science, and machine learning.
In the context of e-proliferation, a particular kind of e-espionage has further worsened the situation lately. Recently an Israeli Company NSO producing and selling specific spyware ‘Pegasus’ has stunned the world. A report published in ‘The guardian’ has disclosed that how this firm was involved in the malicious practice of selling this unethical and immoral AI-based app with deliberate surveillance and espionage of adversary’s decision-makers and high profile officials. The report reveals few governments even bought this spyware for surveillance and monitoring certain political rivals, journalists, activists within that particular state. Approximately the phone data of some 500,00 people were tried to get hacked using this app. According to Israel’s defense regulations, no firm within Israel can trade such a tool or technique without the defense ministry’s approval. According to the said report, the leading buyer and user states stand as Israel, India, KSA, UAE Morocco, Hungary Mexico, etc. with India spying over PM of Pakistan’s not in use cell phone numbers along with other high profile officials and Hurriyat leadership of IOK since 2018 not even sparing BJP’s rival political leaders including Rahul Gandhi of Indian National Congress. The KSA officials used this app for spying on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s spouse and fiancé. The corporate world is well aware of Jeff Bezos Amazon boss’s famous controversy after privacy issues in 2020 with NSO. This surveillance software works through phone number’s prior information with monitoring all texts, emails, and phone calls. Astonishingly this spyware can record audio-video calls and turn on the camera without the possessor’s knowledge. Encryption is no more secured when Pegasus surveillance software attacks having the capability of targeting both Android and IOS technology. Think for a moment how much information Israeli officials might have hacked about Palestinians, Iranians, and other rivals. Same if applied to the US, the close ally of the state of Israel, what not they have abstracted with superior intelligence services equipped with such novel Spywares networking.
Moreover, these kinds of Spywares manufacturing and trading is a clear violation of human rights and technological and cyber intelligence ethics endangering individual liberties attacking personal privacy which are the essence of modern liberal democratic values as well as global peace and security through breach of diplomatic trust under the Geneva convention and enabling secret diplomacy which led to the outbreak of major wars in human history prior to the establishment of international organizations in the first quarter of the 20th century.
Amnesty International and Human rights Watch have openly snubbed the NSO and Israeli defense ministry for a clear violation of human rights and international security but the worries are deeper than condemnation. This has not been the first case of spyware utilization. Earlier the vigilant humo sapiens are familiar with the alleged hacking news of Iranian and Russian IT experts spying over the US defensive and intelligence mechanisms through mainstream media. The world is also a witness of Julian Assange’s disclosure of the US Army Intelligence’s confidentialities who got fame through WikiLeaks. Edward Snow dens a US national is not forgotten yet who leaked US secrets in 2013 and sought asylum in Russia. Interestingly, Edward Snowden has criticized this kind of espionage through Pegasus indicating it as a clear violation of the code of conduct and has insisted on developing a proper framework for stopping such heinous malware at the global level.
In fact, modern warfare is becoming much more dependent on AI which we can identify as pathetic AI proliferation with every nation aspiring for the latest military equipment based on AI for better accuracy and result. For instance last year the Iranian scientist’s murder via drone was a powerful show of Israeli domination in the whole middle east in this field. Likewise, the Iron dome system installed in Israel with US assistance is another innovation based on AI. Currently, the US, China, Russia, Israel are leading this juncture with South Korea, Japan, UK, France, and India are trying to follow the suit. The US has established a sole programme DARPA for the latest research related to advancements in AI weaponry and countermeasures. These states are working considerably on nuclear weapons carriers, maritime vehicles, aerial fighter jets, robot fighters, drones utilizing AI with innovative tools and means triggering autonomous weapons race. American drones and French Rafale jets based on this innovative technology have tested their worth in the field on many occasions especially in fighting proxies and terrorism globally. These developments have boosted a new kind of arms race with leading countries assisting their allies. Looking from another perspective it seems quite helpful in fighting criminals and transnational criminals and terrorists but the cost of collateral damage and negative use cant be set aside with increasing tendencies based on biases.
Earlier in 1995, the concept of AI came under light for the first time with discussions on big data underlying latter experiences of viruses injection in PCs equipped with AI-based mechanisms. For general understanding even for now many times, we see adware, cache, cookies pop-ups and experience torrents, piracy tools on our screens with no authenticity of the safety of our data. These might be spyware in some cases if not all according to the IT experts. With the system, hacking got the boom alongside the concept of robotics and laser technology easing out daily working and in latter’s case performing surgery for complex operations of the human body, the communication field rode over e-commerce in banking and commercial activities, e-education, and digitalization of offices workload since the world got transformed with the internet facility. But the other side seems dark enough with the formation of the Lethal weapons and spyware industry. There is no guarantee that the algorithm of the unmanned machines of any kind will always support the fed instructions with accuracy alongside the feared biasness of the scientist in coding it. The element of collateral damage is very high when there is no human controlling it. No doubt Economic growth fosters through AI with lessening human labor in difficult tasks but at the same, the loss of jobs, lacking creativity, and decision-making abilities with high implementation costs is the cause of serious worry. Delegation of human labor to automation isn’t an easy process with massive socio-political implications specifically for developing nations like Pakistan.
One must vary of the fact that during the Corona Virus outbreak Virtual learning through Learning management systems (LMS) and electronic gadgets using apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have assisted learners with online freelancing in fashion but it has also shown to the world the importance of physical interaction for better learning outcomes. Online businesses and entrepreneurship owing to e-commerce have added a massive value in certain states GDP i.e, Malaysia, Singapore but the lower strata of many states have suffered through this socio-economic change as well e.g., India, Brazil, etc.
To sum up this whole discussion we may say There’s needs to be a new kind of mechanism for addressing issues related to AI proliferation. It is becoming as dangerous as nuclear proliferation with rising in a number of acquirements with the potential to misguide and interpret the situation leading to catastrophe. The UNO and other global watchdog agencies must envisage a code of conduct for the development of such material with certain rules and regulations of trading it to ensure cybersecurity. So that the technologically advanced nations won’t be able to besiege the rest of the world with empathetic AI be more focused than pathetic AI malaise tools. The COVI-19 outbreak has shown the world more fields to cooperate for the common good of humanity. There is no harm in being techno-optimist. Much needs to be benefitted from AI in these crucial areas rather than developing lethal and obnoxious Spywares and autonomous weapons.