Does artificial intelligence (AI) fundamentally change war? This thesis argues that AI does not alter the nature of war as it remains a political instrument of the state. War is initiated, directed, funded, and ended by human actors pursuing human objectives. AI does, however, change the character of war in a manner qualitatively distinct from every prior military innovation in history. This thesis draws on Carl von Clausewitz's distinction between the permanent nature and ever-changing character of war and is grounded in John Mearsheimer's offensive realism and Robert Jervis's security dilemma. The argument is tested through three live case studies where AI weapons are actively deployed. Israel's Gospel and Lavender targeting systems in Gaza illustrate the removal of human judgment at the level of target selection. Ukraine's DELTA battlefield management system and its Avenger AI layer display the removal of humans at the level of battlefield construction. The United States' deployment of Palantir's Maven, Anthropic's Claude, and the LUCAS illustrates the future of air campaigns. The question is no longer how or when AI will be used in war. It already has.
Omotola Olorode (Mon,) studied this question.