Andrew Forrest speaks out on concerns for unconstrained AI use in global militaries

One of Australia’s wealthiest people has spoken out on the “terrible enemy” artificial intelligence would be if left unconstrained to control the world’s militaries.

As the US and China reached an historic agreement on the use of AI in matters of national security, Andrew Forrest revealed his charity Minderoo’s role in bringing the two superpowers together.

Speaking at a virtual panel discussion, Dr Forrest said the technology, used correctly, could prolong 80 years of nuclear peace around the globe.

“In conflict zones … the downside of AI and technology is on full display, where it strips away empathy, where decisions are made by machines on only information which it’s been fed, and those decisions can be absolute rubbish,” he said last week.

“This is an incredibly important path we’re on, having the decision-makers feel first that military targets, decision making targets, and not humans, not citizens — of North America, of China, of the world — are not collateral damage in warfare.

“That is the power of AI. That is the power which we want to release to make sure that in any military conflict, citizens, innocent citizens, are completely protected.”

Dr Forrest said Minderoo had supported the “discreet” dialogue between the US and China since 2019, in a bid to find agreement between the two on the use of AI in military usages.

The talks, facilitated by the Brookings Institution and Tsinghua University, resulted in a non-binding agreement endorsed by US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping to maintain human control over nuclear weapons.

“We are pursuing global leaders, and we’ve had an excellent example in the US President and the Chinese President reaching an agreement that they’re going to put in place a safe system, a human system for the use of nuclear,” Dr Forrest said.

The talks were the first time the two nations had come to the table to discuss AI — meeting 11 times in five years.

“The mantra behind all of this, Minderoo’s funding, our ability to make AI a friend of humanity, not a terrible enemy in the military, is a simple four word slogan: no harm to citizens,” Dr Forrest said.

“(The forum’s) work, over several years, underpinned the agreement, announced by the presidents of China and the US, that both countries would maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons.

“The world should know and heed this example: even the most powerful nations appreciate the value of compromise where humanity is concerned.”