In a recent conversation with Bloomberg News, Palmer Luckey shared a rather grim prediction about the role of artificial intelligence in future warfare. He believes it’s inevitable that AI systems will one day cause the deaths of innocent people during conflicts. This is precisely why Luckey emphasizes the importance of involving humans when deploying these AI systems within the U.S. military framework.
“There will be people who are killed by AI who should not have been killed. That is a certainty if artificial intelligence becomes a core part of the way that we fight wars,” Luckey remarked. “We need to make sure that people remain accountable for that because that’s the only thing that’ll drive us to better solutions and fewer inadvertent deaths, fewer civilian casualties.”
Despite the potential risks, Luckey believes AI could address current issues that are arguably more dangerous to innocent people than the technology itself.
“I’m not in favor of AI taking these actions, but often the technologies we’re using now are far worse,” he noted.
Luckey, who carries a net worth of about $2.3 billion according to Forbes, certainly speaks with knowledge when considering how tech might shape future warfare. A native of Long Beach, he founded the VR company Oculus and was famously ousted after it was acquired by Meta. He currently leads Anduril, which has lucrative contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. His departure from Meta stemmed from a 2016 donation to a political action committee supporting then-candidate Donald Trump, according to information from the Wall Street Journal.
In Bloomberg’s interview conducted by Emily Chang, Luckey touches on various topics, ranging from the geopolitical threat that China poses to his departure from Meta. Interestingly, he appears somewhat hesitant to mention Trump by name.
“I’m not as politically inclined as people might think,” Luckey shared with Chang. “I was essentially pushed out of Silicon Valley for a $9,000 political contribution. People tune into this story because it’s pretty unusual for a tech individual to have supported the eventual president that year.”
As collected by Chang in the interview, “the person who became president that year” was indeed Trump, someone still considered a threat to U.S. security and somehow leading over President Joe Biden in recent New York Times polls.
For those interested in a deeper dive, the 30-minute video interview with Luckey is available on YouTube. It offers insights into how defense contractors in the tech world are planning for future warfare. Regardless of who comes out on top in November’s election, it seems Luckey is set to continue crafting innovative technology focused on future conflicts for many years ahead. Watching this discussion is worth the effort, if only to grasp where a substantial chunk of America’s $850 billion defense budget is being allocated each year.
