Recently,Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that artificial intelligence may be the way Russia canrebalance the power shiftcreated by the US.This indicates that AI could be the deciding factor in the next cold war, if there is one.While wide use ofAI-powered cyberattacksmay still be some time away, countries are starting to recognize the important of AI cyber technology.It is easy to confuse the current geopolitical situation with that of the 1980s. The United States and Russiaeach accusethe otherof interfering indomestic affairs. Russia hasannexed territoryover U.S. objections, raising concerns aboutmilitary conflict.As during the Cold Warafter World War II, nations are developing and building weapons based on advanced technology. During the Cold War, the weapon of choice was nuclear missiles; today its software, whether its used for attackingcomputer systemsortargets in the real world.Russian rhetoric about the importance of artificial intelligence is picking upand with good reason: As artificial intelligence software develops, it will be able to make decisions based on more data, and more quickly, than humans can handle. As someone who researches the use of AI for applications as diverse asdrones,self-driving vehiclesandcybersecurity, I worry that the world may be enteringor perhaps already inanother cold war, fueled by AI. And Imnotalone.Modern cold warJust like the the Cold War in the 1940s and 1950s, each side has reason to fear its opponent gaining a technological upper hand. In a recent meeting at the Strategic Missile Academy near Moscow, Russian President Vladmir Putin suggested that AI may be the way Russia canrebalance the power shiftcreated by the U.S. outspending Russia nearly 10-to-1 on defense each year. Russias state-sponsoredRT media reportedAI was key to Russia beating [the] U.S. in defense.It sounds remarkably like the rhetoric of the Cold War, where the United States and the Soviets each built up enough nuclear weapons tokill everyone on Earth many times over. This arms race led to the concept ofmutual assured destruction: Neither side could risk engaging in open war without risking its own ruin. Instead, both sides stockpiled weapons anddueledindirectlyvia smaller armed conflicts and political disputes.Now, more than 30 years after the end of the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia have decommissionedtens of thousandsof nuclear weapons. However, tensions are growing. Any modern-day cold war would include cyberattacks and nuclear powers involvement in allies conflicts. Its already happening.Both countries haveexpelled the others diplomats. Russia hasannexedpart of Crimea. The Turkey-Syria border war has evenbeen calleda proxy war between the U.S. and Russia.Both countriesandmany others too still have nuclear weapons, but their use by a major power is still unthinkable to most. However,recentreportsshow increased public concern that countries might use them.A world of cyberconflictCyberweapons, however, particularly those powered by AI, are still consideredfair gamebyboth sides.Russia andRussian-supporting hackershavespied electronically, launchedcyberattacksagainstpower plants,banks, hospitals and transportation systems andagainst U.S. elections. Russian cyberattackers have targeted theUkraineand U.S. alliesBritainandGermany.The U.S. iscertainly capableof responding andmay have done so.Putin has said heviews artificial intelligenceas the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind. In September 2017, he told students that the nation that becomes the leader in this sphere willbecome the ruler of the world. Putin isnt saying hell hand over the nuclear launch codes to a computer, thoughscience fictionhas portrayedcomputers launching missiles. He is talking about many other uses for AI.Use of AI for nuclear weapons controlThreats posed by surprise attacks fromship- and submarine-basednuclear weapons and weapons placed near a countrys borders may lead some nations to entrust self-defense tacticsincluding launching counterattacksto the rapid decision-making capabilities of an AI system.In case of an attack, the AI could act more quickly and without thepotential hesitationordissent of a human operator.A fast, automated response capability could help ensure potential adversaries know a nation is ready and willing to launch, the key tomutual assured destructions effectiveness as a deterrent.AI control of non-nuclear weaponsAI can also be used to control non-nuclear weapons including unmanned vehicles like drones and cyberweapons. Unmanned vehicles must be able to operate while their communications are impairedwhich requires onboard AI control. AI control alsoprevents a group thats being targetedfrom stopping or preventing a drone attack by destroying itscontrol facility, because control is distributed, bothphysically and electronically.Cyberweapons may, similarly, need tooperate beyond the range of communications. And reacting to them may requiresuch rapid responsethat the responses would be best launched and controlled by AI systems.AI-coordinated attacks can launch cyber or real-world weapons almost instantly, making the decision to attack before a human even notices a reason to. AI systems can change targets and techniques faster than humans can comprehend, much less analyze. For instance, an AI system might launch a drone to attack a factory, observe drones responding to defend, and launch a cyberattack on those drones, with no noticeable pause.The importance of AI developmentA country that thinks its adversaries have or will get AI weapons will want to get them too. Wide use ofAI-powered cyberattacksmay still be some time away.Countries might agree to a proposedDigital Geneva Conventionto limit AI conflict. But that wont stop AI attacks byindependent nationalist groups, militias, criminal organizations, terrorists and othersand countries can back out of treaties. Its almost certain, therefore, that someone will turn AI into a weaponand that everyone else will do so too, even if only out of a desire to be prepared to defend themselves.With Russiaembracing AI, other nations that dont or those that restrict AI development risk becomingunable to compete economically or militarilywith countries wielding developed AIs. Advanced AIs can create advantage for a nations businesses, not just its military, and those without AI may be severely disadvantaged. Perhaps most importantly, though, having sophisticated AIs in many countries could provide adeterrent against attacks, as happened with nuclear weapons during the Cold War.This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.SEE ALSO:Here are the most common uses of AI on your smartphone todayJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is 34 ' here's how he became one of the world's scariest dictators
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