Killer Apps: War, Media, Machine

by Jeremy Packer, Joshua Reeves

In Killer Apps Jeremy Packer and Joshua Reeves provide a detailed account of the rise of automation in warfare, showing how media systems are central to building weapons systems with artificial intelligence in order to more efficiently select and eliminate military targets. Drawing on the insights of a wide range of political and media theorists, Packer and Reeves develop a new theory for understanding how the intersection of media and military strategy drives today's AI arms race. They address the use of media to search for enemies in their analyses of the history of automated radar systems, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the development of military climate science, which treats the changing earth as an enemy. As the authors demonstrate, contemporary military strategy demands perfect communication in an evolving battlespace that is increasingly inhospitable to human frailties, necessitating humans' replacement by advanced robotics, machine intelligence, and media systems.

280 pages, Hardcover

Published February 28, 2020

Reviews

[Thomas Wiltshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel provides an excellent commentary on recent developments in military technology. Besides discussing the technology itself, it goes into detail on the impact that certain developments may have. Typically, the moral aspect of technological development is skirted around in novels but it is at the center of several chapters. The strength of this book lies in its many sources and direct quotes from subject matter experts in both the STEM field and the military industrial complex. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in technology, the ethics of war, and the defense sector. If you aren’t interested by the concept of autonomous military technology like armed drone swarms, or Terminator like robots, this book is not for you.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book convinced me we should actually be afraid of artificial intelligence lol