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quincy institute for responsible statecraft
Report Urges Congress to Tackle Venture Capitalists Peddling AI 'Miracle Weapons'
"Neither taxpayers nor the Congress should buy the hype surrounding these new technologies without careful oversight and scrutiny."
Jun 03, 2024
A new report released Monday sounds the alarm on the growing influence of profit-hungry venture capital firms that are promoting weapons systems powered by artificial intelligence, a rapidly emerging technology that experts and watchdogs warn could be an
existential threat to humanity if not strongly and properly regulated.
The
report, published by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, cautions that venture capital (VC) firms and their allies in Washington, D.C. are "determined to move full speed ahead on the development and deployment of weapons based on AI and other technological innovations, despite many unanswered questions about the costs and risks involved."
Michael Brenes and William Hartung, the report's authors, implore Congress to pursue concrete policy actions to regulate the torrent of VC money flowing into the development of AI-powered military technology—so-called "miracle weapons"—as the Pentagon actively courts Silicon Valley startups.
Citing data from PitchBook, The Financial Timesreported last year that "U.S. venture investment in defense startups surged from less than $16 billion in 2019 to $33 billion in 2022."
The Quincy Institute report observes that "the surge in VC investment in emerging arms technology is being spearheaded by a handful of firms and individuals," including "the Founders Fund, started by Peter Thiel, who is also the co-founder of PayPal and the arms technology firm Palantir; and Andreesen Horowitz, whose 'American Dynamism Fund' invests in notable emerging tech firms like Anduril and Shield AI."
"Given the risks of catastrophic malfunction and hair-trigger wars conducted with minimal human input, we need a vigorous national debate before moving full speed ahead on military applications of AI and other emerging technologies," Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute, said in a statement Monday.
Brenes, a nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute, said that "hugely consequential decisions" about the role of AI in U.S. military technology and operations "cannot be driven by narrow considerations of corporate profit."
"Neither taxpayers nor the Congress should buy the hype surrounding these new technologies without careful oversight and scrutiny," said Brenes. "Otherwise, we will see yet another round of cost overruns for systems that do not work as advertised."
"With defense startups growing in number, and enticing military and political leaders, it will be exacerbated in an era of 'big tech.'"
The new report comes amid sustained outrage over the U.S. tech giant Google's AI partnership with Israel, which has used artificial intelligence in its devastating military assault on Gaza.
The report also comes months after the Biden administration announced its "Replicator" initiative, a project the Pentagon characterized as an attempt to counter China with an "AI-empowered military."
"Since we need to break through barriers and catalyze change with urgency, we've set a big goal for Replicator: to field attritable autonomous systems at a scale of multiple thousands, in multiple domains, within the next 18 to 24 months," Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said in a speech last year.
Hicks' remarks drew immediate alarm from watchdog organizations, which have criticized the Pentagon's lack of transparency surrounding its AI efforts.
In March, a coalition of groups spearheaded by Public Citizensent a letter to the Pentagon warning that "autonomous weapons are inherently dehumanizing and unethical, no matter whether a human is 'ultimately' responsible for the use of force or not."
"Deploying lethal AI weapons in battlefield conditions necessarily means inserting them into novel conditions for which they have not been programmed, an invitation for disastrous outcomes," the letter reads. "'Swarms' of the sort envisioned by Replicator pose even heightened risks, because of the unpredictability of how autonomous systems will function in a network. And the mere ambiguity of the U.S. position on autonomous weapons risks spurring a catastrophic arms race."
The Quincy Institute report specifically calls on Congress to "establish a revamped Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that could provide oversight of the industry and ensure that Silicon Valley startups do not manufacture promises that cannot be delivered."
The report also urges Congress to shutter the revolving door between the federal government and military contractors, which gives private companies further influence over consequential policy outcomes.
"This is not a new problem," the report acknowledges. "But with defense startups growing in number, and enticing military and political leaders, it will be exacerbated in an era of 'big tech.' Republican Representative Mike Gallagher recently announced that he was joining Peter Thiel's Palantir after resigning from Congress. This is while Gallagher promotes belligerent views on China in mainstream outlets like Foreign Affairs, arguing that the United States is in the throes of a 'New Cold War' with China that must be won by 'rapidly increasing U.S. defense capabilities to achieve unmistakable qualitative advantages over Beijing.'"
"It will be up to interested members of Congress, working with the administration, to craft specific proposals and regulations to manage the role of private money in the development of emerging military technologies," the report states.
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As Schumer Slams Netanyahu, Palestine Defenders Want 'Action From Democrats, Not Words'
"What we want to see is actual change in policy," stressed Dearborn, Michigan Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.
Mar 14, 2024
While welcoming remarks by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and hinting at a possible shift in policy if far-right extremists continue to run the Middle Eastern country, Palestine defenders on Thursday stressed the need for Democrats to push for the Biden administration to stop arming Israel's genocide in Gaza.
Speaking on the Senate floor on Thursday, Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he believes Netanyahu—who is facing corruption, bribery, and fraud charges—"has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel."
Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish American elected official, criticized Netanyahu for including far-right extremists such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in his Cabinet, and said that "as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows."
Sen. Chuck Schumer Calls for ‘New Elections’ in Israel: ‘There Needs To Be a Fresh Debate About the Future of Israel’
"The U.S. Government should demand that Israel conduct itself with a future two-state solution in mind. We should not be forced into a position of unequivocally… pic.twitter.com/Ibwv2D1Ga7
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) March 14, 2024
"Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah," the senator said. "If Prime Minister Netanyahu's current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing U.S. standards for assistance, then the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course."
Responding to Schumer's speech, former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turnerattributed Schumer's "narrative shift" to "every organizer and activist working tirelessly for peace and humanity."
Abdullah Hammoud, the Democratic mayor of Dearborn, Michigan—the largest U.S. city with a majority Arab population—said on CNN that "words are not enough, what we want to see is actual change in policy."
"It's extremely important for President [Joe] Biden to utilize the leverage that he currently has in restricting military aid... and call not for a temporary cease-fire, but a permanent and lasting cease-fire... that can make a difference today," added Hammoud, who backed the campaign urging Michiganders to vote "uncommitted" in the key swing state's Democratic presidential primary last month.
NEW: Dearborn, Michigan Mayor @AHammoudMI on Schumer's speech and Biden's shifts: "Words are not enough, what we want to see is actual change in policy."
"While the elections could be called...that doesn't change what's happening on the ground today. This is why it's extremely… pic.twitter.com/xWH1omeVQG
— Waleed Shahid 🪬 (@_waleedshahid) March 14, 2024
Layla Elabed, campaign manager of Listen to Michigan—the group behind the "uncommitted" effort—said that "we are looking for action from Democrats, not words."
"Schumer is beginning to shift but far too slowly and with little substance for what actions Biden can take now to stop the outrageous civilian death toll in Gaza," she continued. "Schumer hints at using U.S. leverage against Israel's dangerous policies, yet Netanyahu already violates American policies and values under Biden's watch. How many children in Gaza will be killed by Israeli bombs before Schumer demands an end to U.S. weapons aid?"
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, wondered, "What's the strategy here?"
"First, you arm Israel to the teeth, protect it when it commits war crimes, shield it from all international pressure, and NOW you worry it has become a pariah?" he said.
Schumer's remarks are a stark departure from his message in a speech earlier this week at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Congressional Summit, when the senator—who has taken more than $1.7 million in cumulative campaign contributions from the pro-Israel lobby— called supporting Israel "an obligation I feel deep within my soul."
"We will always have Israel's back," he added.
Following Schumer's Thursday remarks, AIPAC
said on social media that "Israel is an independent democracy that decides for itself when elections are held and chooses its own leaders."
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog also
addressed Schumer's comments, without explicitly mentioning the senator: "Israel is a sovereign democracy. It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally. It is counterproductive to our common goals."
Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)—who has
taken nearly $2 million in career campaign contributions from AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups—called Schumer's remarks "grotesque and hypocritical."
However, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the senator's speech "is proof that Netanyahu is losing our best supporters in the U.S."
Schumer's shift comes amid Israel's 160-day assault on Gaza, which has killed or maimed more than 111,000 Palestinians, including thousands of people believed dead and buried beneath rubble. Most of the dead are women and children. Around 90% of the besieged strip's 2.3 million people have been displaced, and disease and deadly starvation are spreading as Israel blocks humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. Palestine advocates say Israel is failing to obey a January order from the International Court of Justice to avoid genocidal acts in Gaza.
"Time is running out for Israelis and Palestinians and also for Biden's chances at reelection."
Groups like Listen to Michigan have warned Biden and congressional Democrats of the electoral risks of failing to use U.S. leverage to push Israeli leaders more forcefully for a Gaza cease-fire. Hundreds of thousands of Democratic primary voters have selected "uncommitted" or similar language on their ballots, including in key swing states narrowly won by Biden in 2020.
"Time is running out for Israelis and Palestinians and also for Biden's chances at reelection," warned Elabed. "Uncommitted voters have been demanding that Democratic Party leaders like Schumer call for a permanent cease-fire and an end to weapons aid to a far-right Israeli government that bombs Palestinian civilians and has already violated decades of U.S. policy and international law by expanding settlements into Palestinian territory."
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Groups Forge Emergency Coalition to Pressure US on Gaza Cease-Fire
"It is long past time for the United States to use its leverage and uphold U.S. law to end Israel's indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza and have this war come to an end."
Mar 05, 2024
A broad coalition of advocacy groups on Tuesday launched an emergency online campaign to pressure U.S. lawmakers to support an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Demand Progress, Oxfam America, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Win Without War, Common Defense, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and 23 partner groups started CeasefireAction.com, which includes a searchable database of each member of Congress and where they stand on the cease-fire issue, as well as a tool for contacting lawmakers to urge them to publicly support a cease-fire.
"It is long past time for the United States to use its leverage and uphold U.S. law to end Israel's indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza and have this war come to an end," said Seth Binder, director of advocacy at the Middle East Democracy Center, a coalition member. "The humanitarian catastrophe that millions of Palestinians are suffering through and its seismic moral and strategic consequences should compel members of Congress to do everything in its power to secure a cessation of hostilities."
According to the database, 164 of the 536 members of Congress "support some form" of cessation of hostilities in Gaza. All of them are Democrats, plus independent Sens. Angus King (Maine) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.). Seventy-six lawmakers "fully support" a cease-fire.
The launch of CeasefireAction.com comes as Israeli forces continue their relentless bombardment, invasion, and starvation of Gaza's 2.3 million people, around 90% of whom have been forcibly displaced. According to Palestinian and international humanitarian officials, more than 102,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded by Israeli bombs and bullets, with at least 7,000 others missing and believed dead and buried beneath the rubble of some of the hundreds of thousands of homes and other buildings destroyed or damaged by Israeli bombardment.
Israel's conduct in war, along with statements by members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government and Knesset lawmakers, are cited in a South Africa-led genocide case filed in the International Court of Justice in The Hague. On January 26, the ICJ issued a preliminary ruling that found Israel is "plausibly" committing genocide and ordered the country's government to "take all measures within its power" to prevent genocidal acts.
As Israeli forces are poised for a major ground invasion of Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians—the vast majority of them forcibly displaced from other parts of Gaza—are sheltering, "it is more urgent than ever that Congress and the [Biden] administration support an immediate, permanent cease-fire," said Demand Progress policy adviser Hajar Hammado.
"We need an end to the violence, a release of [Israeli] hostages, and the free flow of humanitarian aid to alleviate the immense scale of suffering," Hammado added. "This new tool, CeasefireAction.com, empowers constituents to hold their members of Congress accountable for their stances in this critical moment. A temporary, six-week cease-fire is not enough—we need an immediate, permanent cease-fire now."
The Biden administration—which is seeking an additional $14.3 billion in U.S. military aid for Israel atop the nearly $4 billion it already gets from Washington each year—has pushed for a temporary cease-fire deal ahead of Ramadan in recent days under intensifying pressure from the U.S. public.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday said that "given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire for at least the next six weeks."
"People in Gaza are starving," Harris said. "What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. We have seen reports of families eating leaves and animal feed, children dying from malnutrition and dehydration. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed."
Meanwhile, the Biden administration—which twice sidestepped congressional review to expedite weapons transfers to Israel since October 7—is preparing to send thousands more bombs to the country's military.
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