Attack drones launched by the Government of National Accord during Libya’s 2020 civil war reportedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to locate, target, and shell vehicles and troops of the Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Manufactured by Turkey’s STM company, the Kargu-2 is equipped with “automatic target selection and facial recognition capabilities,” and some experts claim Libya is the first place in Africa where an autonomous combat weapon was used.
“Five years later, it’s clear that this is not the last attack of its kind,” said Nate Allen, a researcher at the African Center for Strategic Studies, who hosted a March 14 webinar titled “AI Applications in Military and Security.”
“We live in an era where warfare is becoming increasingly autonomous, and this has significant implications for the nature of war in Africa. Advances in artificial intelligence are one of the key drivers of this increasingly autonomous nature of conflict.”
At the tactical and operational level, AI is used for surveillance, situational awareness, and intelligence gathering. AI has the ability to analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and predict events, and is increasingly being implemented in automated navigation, targeting, and decision support systems.
Experts such as Moses Khanyile, head of the Defense Artificial Intelligence Research Unit at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University, believe that AI will be used for more complex strategic decision-making in the near future.
“It’s very important for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) purposes on the battlefield and in the deployment space,” he said in a webinar. “We’re talking about area awareness, the eyes and ears of deployed troops, weather changes, terrain changes, enemy troop movements, etc.”
Others advocate patience, pointing out that new technologies introduced into real-world applications come with unforeseen vulnerabilities. Senator Iloegbu, founder of the Nigeria-based online magazine Global Sentinel, said that while AI has benefits in the security field, the technology should be treated with caution.
“It limits casualties in terms of the number of soldiers sent, so you can save boots,” he told Voice of America. “This will help us break through rough terrain and gather more information. It’s good to see increased awareness of artificial intelligence issues.… [But] Further awareness is needed, and policy aspects need to be further developed. ”
Khaneel distinguishes between off- and on-battlefield AI applications.
“AI is critical to automating many of the normal administrative and administrative responsibilities, such as inventory and inventory management, and improving military productivity,” he said.
The Armed Forces can also save money by using AI for training and simulation, allowing soldiers to acquire skills and reach new levels of proficiency with fewer resources.
Once the military is deployed, AI can provide critical support for decision-making in areas such as force structure and design, research and development, and long-term planning, Kaniyil said.
“All of that requires a lot of brainpower, and time is not always on a commander’s side,” he says. “AI-enabled resources make it possible to create them relatively quickly.”
Sam Segun, senior fellow at the Global Center for AI Governance and AI Innovation and Technology Consultant at the United Nations Institute for Interregional Crime and Justice, said there are many examples of law enforcement efforts in Africa that leverage these resources.
In Nigeria, a technology company called Efuelite Solutions Ltd. has developed an AI tool that helps financial institutions detect and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing by automating transaction monitoring, detecting suspicious activity, and assessing customer risk.
A conservation area in Tanzania uses a camera-based AI application called TrailGuard. The application is trained to recognize people, certain wildlife species, and vehicles such as logging trucks, even at night. Since 2018, we have helped apprehend 30 poachers.
Cameroon, Gabon and Nigeria are using cameras and motion sensors to generate data for AI modeling tools to thwart pangolin poaching, predicting the routes poachers are likely to take, and identifying vulnerabilities in smuggling and trafficking networks.
Ghana and Nigeria are using a tool called Digital Earth that analyzes satellite images to identify and track the use of access roads to remote illegal mining sites.
“This has been particularly helpful for countries seeking to protect their natural resources, which tend to exacerbate existing conflicts and also lead to ethnic conflicts,” Segun said in the webinar.
“In the maritime sector, 17 African countries are using a technology called Skylight, which provides ocean and satellite data for AI-powered pattern recognition to help detect illegal fishing and combat piracy.”
Speaking at the 2024 First Africa Regional Workshop on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Military held in Nairobi, Kenyan Defense Forces Commander General Charles Kahariri said it will be important for African countries to build their own AI development and deployment capabilities. But he also called for regulation and oversight.
“The development of a comprehensive regulatory framework governing the use of AI in military operations is essential,” he said in his speech. “Policymakers must work closely with technology, ethicists, and military experts to develop policies that balance innovation and responsibility.”
