PHILOSOPHY OF WAR IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: ETHICS, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF MILITARY POWER

Abstract

War has always been a complex phenomenon that is simultaneously the subject of philosophical, moral, legal and technological re-examination. With the emergence of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, war as a phenomenon is experiencing a fundamental transformation, not only in operational and tactical terms, but also in conceptual and normative terms. New technologies are changing the way wars are fought, but also the way wars are understood. Instead of war as human decisions and conflicts, contemporary studies of war imply a war in which algorithms, machines and autonomous systems make decisions with potentially deadly consequences, often without direct human oversight. This paper aims to take an interdisciplinary look at the impact of artificial intelligence on the nature of modern warfare, through the intersection of ethics, technology and the transformation of military power.

Starting from a historical overview of philosophical ideas about war, to contemporary approaches, the article explores how artificial intelligence challenges traditional paradigms and questions categories such as courage, responsibility, subjectivity and ethical choice. In particular, the focus is on the transformation of just war theory, both in terms of the justification for entering into war (jus ad bellum) and in terms of the principles within war (jus in bello). The use of autonomous weapons systems opens up a number of moral dilemmas: who is responsible for the decisions made by a machine? Can an algorithm be the subject of moral assessment? What is the role of man in the context of delegated lethal power?

The theoretical framework of the work combines philosophy, ethics, technological development and military theory, which is the basis of contemporary security studies. On the other hand, the triad of ethics, technology and transformation of power implies that the work considers normative and empirical aspects. While the use of the phrase “philosophy of war” points to a deeper, more fundamental reflection, not only on the application but also on the meaning of warfare in the age of artificial intelligence. The previously presented facts indicate how artificial intelligence fits into the strategic matrices of great powers and how new technologies are changing geopolitics, becoming a new source of global hegemony. Dominance in the field of artificial intelligence today has almost the same meaning as nuclear superiority once did.

The aim of the paper is not only to describe technological changes, but also to critically review the need for new ethical, philosophical and legal frameworks that will enable the understanding and regulation of war in the digital age. The research concludes that it is necessary to reexamine the fundamental categories that determine war, from subjectivity and responsibility, to the concept of the enemy and the ethics of violence, in order to adequately respond to the challenges brought by the age of artificial intelligence.