Information in War

A roadmap for leading successful military innovation that underscores close collaboration with civilians, based on past experience

In the coming decades, artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize the way we live. It will also transform how militaries wage war. This revolution comes with high stakes, as military organizations that best innovate and adapt to this AI revolution will gain significant advantages over their rivals. Great powers such as the United States, China, and Russia are investing in novel sensing, reasoning, and learning technologies that will alter how militaries observe, orient, decide, and act in relation to the enemy and environment — and fundamentally change how we conceptualize the national security enterprise.

Understanding the ways in which AI will change the character of warfare and strategic competition requires a deeper understanding of the relationship between information, organizational dynamics, and military power. To assess how militaries may adopt AI, and where they may go wrong, authors Benjamin M. Jensen, Christopher Whyte, and Scott Cuomo analyze past examples of successes and failures with innovations in military information technologies, including radar, early computers in air-defense coordination, computerized battle networks, and remotely piloted aerial vehicles. These case studies reveal that the discovery of new technologies does not ensure innovation and demonstrate how militaries can avoid common obstacles to achieve effective adoption. Information in War concludes by sketching four hypothetical outcomes of how the US military may use AI by 2040, helping us imagine and prepare for a range of possible futures.