39 Winter 2026 perceptions and values.9 As such, the main regulatory developments take place on the domestic and regional level.10 In Israel, the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology introduced voluntary guidelines for the regulation of AI in 2023 that employ a principles-based framework to guide regulators in deploying AI in their respective fields.11 Other countries have also introduced similar frameworks.12 B. The AI Trend in the IDF The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uses AI applications in: (1) proactive forecasting, threat alert, and defensive systems; and (2) intelligence analysis and decision support.13 1. Proactive forecasting, threat alert, and additional defensive systems The IDF harnesses AI-based tools to detect, alert, and preempt catastrophic scenarios as part of its crisis management.14 In particular, the Alchemist system integrates data onto a unified platform, to present a cohesive understanding of complex situations, and to inform of threats.15 Additionally, AI is being used for command and control purposes.16 For example, systems like Legion-X, developed by Elbit, allow for control of a number of unmanned vehicles at the same time.17 Furthermore, the Israeli Iron Dome system relies on AI to track incoming missiles, and to schedule the launch of interceptor missiles.18 The IDF also deploys AI platforms for border control.19 The October 7, 2023 massacre raised red flags in relation to this issue,20 but until an official inquiry is conducted it will be hard to pinpoint the exact failures of such systems. 2. Intelligence Analysis and Decision Support Systems In 2023, the IDF disclosed the “Fire Factory” system,21 which analyzes datasets, and proposes potential targets for airstrikes.22 Another decision support system used for targeting is “The Gospel.”23 This system reviews and fuses different layers of intelligence, and provides suggestions regarding potential targets.24 Another notable system is the “Fire Weaver,” a sensor-to-shooter system developed by the Rafael company that links intelligence from sensors to deployed weapons, enabling rapid threat identification and engagement by selecting optimal shooters based on location, line of sight, effectiveness, and available ammunition.25 The use of such decision support systems has drawn significant criticism, as will be detailed below. One of the most controversial systems is “Lavender,”26 a “general-purpose database that International Law to Cyber Operations,” EJIL TALK! (Dec. 9, 2020) available at https://www.ejiltalk.org/ israels-perspective-on-key-legal-and-practical-issuesconcerning-the-application-of-international-law-to-cyberoperations/; see also Mimran, Between Israel and Iran, supra note 7. 9. Dan Efrony, “The UN Cyber Groups, GGE and OWEG – A Consensus is Optimal, But Time is of the Essence,” JUST SECURITY (July 16, 2021), available at https://www. justsecurity.org/77480/the-un-cyber-groups-gge-andoewg-a-consensus-is-optimal-but-time-is-of-the-essence/ 10. Different perceptions and interests distance States from one another and lead to different approaches on the role of international law in regulating new technologies, as well as concrete disagreements on legal definitions. The gap between States like the U.S. and Russia, or Israel and Iran, represents a deeper battle for techno-political power and influence. 11. Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology of Israel, “Israel's Policy on Artificial Intelligence Regulation and Ethics” (Dec. 17, 2023), available at https://www.gov.il/en/departments/policies/ ai_2023#:~:text=Key%20Highlights%20of%20 Israel's%20AI%20Policy%3A&text=Comprehensive%20 approach%3A%20The%20AI%20Policy,safety%2C%20 accountability%2C%20and%20privacy 12. For example, there are some voluntary initiatives that promote discussion on the need to wake up to the Oppenheimer moment, like REAIM (Responsible AI in the Military domain), and the Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy, that offer non-legally binding guidelines of best practices. See Shawn Steene & Chris Jenks, “The Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy,” ARTICLES OF WAR (Nov. 13, 2023), available at https://lieber.westpoint. edu/political-declaration-responsible-military-useartificial-intelligence-autonomy/ 13. Roni Dori, “This is probably the first AI war,” CTECH (CALCALIST) (Oct. 22, 2023), available at https://www. calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h3u0zc3eg 14. Marissa Newman, Israel Quietly Embeds AI Systems in Deadly Military Operations, BLOOMBERG (July 16, 2023), available at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/ articles/2023-07-16/israel-using-ai-systems-to-plandeadly-military-operations#xj4y7vzkg 15. Inbar Dolinko & Liron Antebi, “Embracing the Organized Mess, Defense AI in Israel, Defense AI Observatory,” STUDY 23/15 at 27 (Hamburg: Defense AI Observatory, 2023). 16. Beyond the Headlines, supra note 2.
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