AI and the New Global Security Landscape

The conversation about AI often focuses on software, automation, and the race between attackers and defenders in code. However, some of the most consequential risks lie further afield in domains where a mistake is measured in human lives. Advanced models can now offer step-by-step guidance toward chemical and biological weapons, and militaries are already folding AI into targeting and battlefield assessments.

These are no longer speculative fears confined to the AI doomer crowd. They are documented in red team disclosures, government legislation, and events unfolding on real battlefields. Gordon M. Goldstein is an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he focuses on the convergence of technology and U.S. foreign policy.