Israel's army has deployed AI-enabled military technology in combat for the first time in Gaza, raising concerns about the use of autonomous weapons in modern warfare.
The tech is being used to destroy enemy drones and map Hamas's vast tunnel network in Gaza. New defense technologies, including AI-powered gunsights and robotic drones, form a bright spot in Israel's tech industry, which accounted for 18% of GDP in 2022.
The war in Gaza has wreaked havoc with an estimated eight percent of its workforce called up to fight. However, the rising civilian death toll shows that much greater oversight is needed over the use of new forms of defense tech.
More than 150 countries in December backed a UN resolution identifying "serious challenges and concerns" in new military tech, including "artificial intelligence and autonomy in weapons systems." The conflict has raised human rights concerns but also cemented Israel's status as a world-leading manufacturer of cutting-edge defense systems. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the United States, Israel's main international ally and provider of billions of dollars each year in military aid, was training its soldiers to shoot down drones using Smart Shooter's optic sights.