General says 'Judeo-Christian society' makes USA's AI better than rivals'

The future of AI in war depends on 'who plays by the rules of warfare and who doesn't'

A US Air Force general has said the Pentagon's approach to AI surpasses its adversaries' in terms of ethics, attributing this advantage to the United States' "Judeo-Christian" foundation.

During a Hudson Institute event last Thursday, Lt. Gen. Richard Moore, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for plans and programmes, said the United States' foundation in Judeo-Christian principles means society possesses "a moral compass".

"Not everybody does, and there are those that are willing to go for the ends regardless of what means have to be employed, and we'll have to be ready for that," he added.

Moore made the comment in response to a question about the Pentagon's perspective on autonomous warfare.

He said the future of AI in a military context depends on "who plays by the rules of warfare and who doesn't."

The US Department of Defense maintains a religious liberty policy that acknowledges the rights of service members to freely practice their religious beliefs, or choose not to follow any religion at all.

This policy permits personnel to express their sincerely held beliefs, as long as such expressions do not negatively affect military readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, or the health and safety of individuals involved.

In an emailed statement to The Washington Post, Lt. Gen. Moore shared his views that - while AI ethics may not be exclusive to the United States - he believes that its adversaries are less likely to operate based on the same values and principles.

"The foundation of my comments was to explain that the Air Force is not going to allow AI to take actions, nor are we going to take actions on information provided by AI, unless we can ensure that the information is in accordance with our values," Moore said.

The US government is actively engaged in developing guidelines for the use of AI in warfare.

In 2020, the Department of Defense established standards to ensure the ethical application of AI technologies. Additionally, the State Department issued a declaration in February addressing the "responsible military use of artificial intelligence and autonomy."

AI Race

While Moore did not explicitly mention the specific adversaries he was referring to, the US defence industry has been closely monitoring China's rapidly growing AI sector.

In 2021, the Pentagon's former software chief Nicolas Chaillan warned that the US had already lost the AI race to China, and has "no competing fighting chance" in the next 15 to 20 years.

Chaillan said a failure to respond to China was putting the USA at risk.

"We have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years," Chaillan told the Financial Times.

He described the situation as "a done deal," noting that the AI race was "already over."

Chaillan believed cyber defences in some US government departments were at a "kindergarten level" compared to China's advancement.

Recently, at a House Armed Services subcommittee meeting, technology experts raised concerns that the US could lag behind China in military AI if it doesn't accelerate its investments.

The warning highlighted the competitive nature of AI development in the military sector, and underscored the need for the US to prioritise and invest in AI to maintain its technological edge.