Under the title “AI and the military: what strategy for international arms control?”, Niklas Schörnig spoke at an event organized by the Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt and the Hessian State Agency for Civic Education on February 12, 2025. His talk focused on the increasing military significance of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and their impact on modern warfare.
Today, the military is already heavily dependent on a complex, satellite-based infrastructure that enables the operation of semi-autonomous weapon systems on land, at sea and in the air. However, future developments in the military sector predict even more far-reaching technologies. Against the backdrop of increasing global tensions between the major powers, the question arises as to what extent it is possible to monitor or even restrict military technology innovations internationally. It also remains unclear whether and how effective arms control could be implemented by the United Nations. In his presentation, Niklas Schörnig therefore concluded that arms control for AI is not only difficult, but also unlikely. However, artificial intelligence can be used to make arms control more efficient in general.
The lecture was followed by a discussion round with Jens Borchers from hr-iNFO.
The lecture and discussion were held in German and broadcast as a livestream, which can still be viewed on the YouTube channel of the Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt.