Thread

Pentagon says overreliance on AI contributed to missile strike on Iran school

974 points · 553 comments · devonnull

colingauvin · 1790104632 · focus · HN ↗
While I think that it's important to do root cause analysis, we need to be very careful not to absolve blame from the people that decided to shift a significant weight of decision-making authority to an AI. An AI can't be tried in a court. There has to be a responsible human for everyone one of its actions, especially when it's killing (-people-) children.
I cannot believe this has come to pass.
1. ceejayoz · 1790106016 · focus · HN ↗
  <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/10/pentagon-iran-school-strike-civilian-casualties-00820780" rel="nofollow">https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/10/pentagon-iran-schoo...
  > The Pentagon chief last year slashed offices that didn’t contribute to his goal of “lethality,” including the group that assists in limiting risk to civilians, known as the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence. Around 200 employees who worked on the issue, including at that office, have been reduced by about 90 percent, according to two current and former officials and a person familiar with the effort. The team that handles civilian casualties at Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, has dropped from 10 to one.
  Negligent homicide in pursuit of their DEI goals, basically.
  1. stuaxo · 1790106509 · focus · HN ↗
    [dead]
    ceejayoz · 1790106566 · focus · HN ↗
    People were killed, i.e. homicide.
    Negligence was involved.
    DEI for drunk white men who look good on TV got us Hegseth, who's now rather hilariously requiring gender-affirming treatment for the troops. (<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pentagon-moves-forward-with-mandatory-testosterone-testing-for-most-male-troops" rel="nofollow">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pentagon-moves-forward-wi...)
    _heimdall · 1790152345 · focus · HN ↗
    Is it generally considered gender affirming treatment when its affirming the gender aligned with their biological sex?
    Technically that seems reasonable given the words "gender affirming" but I've only ever heard that term used for trans individuals rather than cis men taking testosterone.
    ceejayoz · 1790162780 · focus · HN ↗
    Yes, I would say breast implants are gender affirming, or Musk's hair transplants. "I want to look more manly!"
    _heimdall · 1790221458 · focus · HN ↗
    [dead]

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