CIVICUS discusses military applications of AI and the urgent need for regulation with Franco Giandana Gigena, Policy Analyst at Access Now, a digital rights organisation that advocates for human rights in the technological age.
As the US government prioritises AI for national security, tech giants such as Anthropic, Google, Meta and OpenAI are forging defence partnerships despite previous ethical commitments. This corporate-military convergence comes alongside faltering regulatory efforts, exemplified by the 2025 Paris AI Action Summit’s failure to achieve consensus. The UK and USA explicitly rejected AI safety pledges, emphasising innovation over regulation. Competition with China is also accelerating development timelines. The consequences of military AI deployment are already visible in conflict zones, such as Gaza.