A report reveals that AI technology is being utilized by US military forces to detect hostile targets in the Middle East region.

A new report reveals that the U.S. is increasing its use of AI technology on the battlefield, including in recent strikes against targets in the Middle East.

The U.S. led coalition forces targeted eight locations in the latest round of airstrikes, including underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, to disrupt the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, according to the Pentagon.

The U.S. is employing advanced AI and machine learning to carry out precise strikes against terrorist groups in response to its increased retaliatory measures.

According to a report from Bloomberg, the military is employing computer vision algorithms to detect enemy targets in the Middle East. Schuyler Moore, the chief technology officer for U.S. CENTCOM, discussed its use during the strikes in the report.

According to Steven Feldstein, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, AI systems can efficiently identify targets and locations by aggregating bulk information, which is more effective than traditional techniques, as he stated in an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital.

"The ability of AI systems to filter through digital clutter and identify patterns related to specific objectives is highly valuable in today's digital communication-dominated environment."

This technology improves the speed of finding a specific person and their location.

Feldstein explained that with access to the right data, systems can analyze signals intelligence, social media posts, and other factors to determine a target's location, estimate the likelihood of their current residence, and potentially predict the success of a strike, the type of strike required to achieve the objective, and the potential collateral damage from such a strike.

Since mid-November, Houthi militants in Yemen have carried out over 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea, posing a threat to the global economy and freedom of navigation and international commerce, as stated in a joint statement from the U.S. and its coalition allies.

The Islamic Resistance of Iraq has attacked U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, resulting in the death of three U.S. soldiers at a military base in Jordan on Jan. 25.

AI has been integrated into the U.S. targeting process due to the availability of AI tools that improve machine learning, as stated by Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, in an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital.

Montgomery pointed out that although AI and machine learning have improved target accuracy and minimized collateral damage, Feldstein argues that there is no evidence that these systems can prevent civilian casualties, and the public remains uninformed about their functioning.

Feldstein stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that there is a lack of transparency regarding how AI targeting systems work and their ability to determine the risk of civilian casualties from a particular strike. Without more information on parameters, accountability of use, and related factors, we cannot determine if these systems help avoid civilian casualties.

The Pentagon and CENTCOM were contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital for their views on the application of AI.