Israel is using artificial intelligence to improve military technology, including to find and destroy Hamas leaders. One such case was the airstrike on Ibrahim Biari, a Hamas commander who was one of the organizers of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks. This is reported by The New York Times.
Israeli intelligence, unable to find Biari through conventional methods, used new technology that combined AI and audio tools to determine his location from conversations. With this data, Israel launched airstrikes on Biari's suspected location, which led to his elimination, but also killed more than 125 civilians.
This is not the only use of AI in conflict: the Israeli army is also using facial recognition technology, collecting and analyzing data from social media, and creating Arabic-language databases for chatbots that quickly scan messages and posts. The AI programs work in close collaboration with military units and civilian experts from major technology companies such as Meta, Google, and Microsoft.
Despite the benefits of AI, experts warn of ethical concerns such as mistaken identification and arrests, as well as the potential for increased surveillance of civilians. The technologies, which are being actively tested during war, could become an important tool in future military operations, but also raise concerns about possible abuse.