Autonomous occupation: Israel's AI-driven drone warfare and the digital architecture of authoritarian power

This article examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous drone technologies into contemporary military infrastructures, focusing on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as a key case study. It explores how AI systems such as Lavender , Gospel , and Where is Daddy? Algorithmically mediate target identification and lethal decision-making, highlighting the emergence of a digitized ‘kill chain’. Through investigative reporting by Yuval Abraham and broader analysis of cloud infrastructure projects like Project Nimbus, the article reveals how corporate platforms (e.g. Google and Amazon) facilitate large-scale data surveillance and AI-based warfare. These developments exemplify a shift toward Hyperwar , where acceleration, automation bias, and machine-based decision-making increasingly dominate the battlefield. The article argues that such systems embody authoritarian logics, producing a ‘responsibility gap’ and enabling forms of digital authoritarianism that dissolve the boundaries between military action, surveillance, and governance – especially in asymmetric conflicts. Ultimately, the case underscores the dangers of AI weaponization, the erosion of human oversight, and the normalization of computational control over life and death.