Life and death decisions must be made by humans not machines, says Vance

US vice president JD Vance explained that his main concern about artificial intelligence is how it will change warfare, and said that decisions about life and death should be made by people, not machines.

Speaking at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado, Obama told students to use technology to better themselves “but never give in to it.”

The White House surrogate also called on them to be “jealous and selfish” about their role as decision-makers in the conflict.

Mr. Vance, a Catholic, also cited the recent major document issued by the Pope encouraging the cooling of competition and the implementation of sound legal rules to govern the development of artificial intelligence.

The first US pontiff has expressed concerns about the Vatican’s release of text that some autonomous weapons systems have advanced “practically beyond any human reach to operate them.”

Warnings have previously been made in the UK Parliament about the need to regulate the use of advanced military technology, with drones increasingly being deployed on the battlefield.

The future use of artificial intelligence and the cybersecurity risks it poses have also caused tensions on civilian streets.

There are reports of a rift in the White House following President Donald Trump’s sudden decision to withdraw the executive order he was required to sign regarding the emerging technology, amid industry concerns.

And when former Google boss Eric Schmidt recently talked about the far-reaching impact of AI, he was booed by University of Arizona grad students who fear for their future job security.

Referring to the large number of American cadets graduating this time of year, most of them civilians, Mr. Vance told the air force cadets: “Almost none of them will take responsibility for, literally, life and death decisions.”

Acknowledging concerns about machine learning, he added: “The thing I worry most about AI is how it will change warfare.”

He supported the Pope in encouraging people “not to delegate the most important moral decisions to digital technology.”

Mr Vance said: “AI will inevitably change warfare and, of course, as you have learned over the last four years, it already has.

“But one of the things that makes Americans unique, what makes you unique as war warriors, is that we wage the war fairly.

“But when I say we, we all fight the war fairly, I’m basically saying you have to do it because you’re the ones who execute, you’re the ones who lead on the battlefield.

“You are the ones who ensure that our surprising and necessary lethality in war is combined with our hearts and conscience.”

He added: “It is an incredible burden to place on your shoulders, but it is one that we entrust to you with complete confidence.

“And if the battle of the future is to live up to the moral values ​​of our ancestors, decisions about life and death must be made by humans, not machines.

“As artificial intelligence transforms the battlefield… I implore you not to be jealous and selfish about your role as decision-maker in war.

“Use technology to better you, but never succumb to it.

“You are masters of warfare, and both your minds and your hearts are the opposite of artificial.”