This roundtable, organised by Tatiana Bazzichelli (Disruption Network Lab) and Jutta Weber (Paderborn University), brings together speakers and experts in the field of information technology, AI and warfare to contribute specifically to the debate on data-centric warfare and its impact on civil society. As we have seen with the use of automated weapons systems over the last two decades, the opaque application of technological developments has critical implications for individuals both in the military, in the affected areas as well as everyday life.

At the same time, the Artificial Intelligence Act, a proposed regulation of the European Union, explicitly exempts application in the military sector. The Act introduces a common regulatory and legal framework for artificial intelligence (except for the military), and the outputs of our project aim to address this gap.

We propose a transdisciplinary discussion that brings together whistleblowers, researchers, artists, journalists, human rights defenders, information technology and digital culture experts. The objective is to foster collaboration between these disciplines to gain insight into the broader application of AI in the military and its interconnection with related technologies, such as drone warfare and the ‘kill cloud’. The unique aspect of the Disruption Network Institute’s programme is that some of the researchers are whistleblowers. Although we work with public and open-source information and unclassified material, the subject matter is quite sensitive and complex.

Possible future activities include the development of an international campaign based on the results of the fellowships and the conference, work on a future publication, and the development of an impact analysis of the research and studies, involving different sectors in the discussion, i.e. civil society, human rights NGOs, academia, arts and culture.

The roundtable will provide an opportunity for researchers, journalists, artists, whistleblowers and experts to plan further phases of research, public events, publication of findings and advocacy planning, as well as issue development and consolidation. This is a concrete outcome of the conference programme to further strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration towards a second phase of the project in terms of public impact.

Participants:

Andreas Schüller (Director of the International Crimes and Accountability program at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights – ECCHR, DE), Andrew Clement (Professor emeritus in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, CA), Anthony Downey (Professor of Visual Culture in the Middle East and North Africa, Birmingham City University, UK), Christoph Marischka (Co-founder, Information Centre on Militarisation, DE), Donatella Della Ratta (Associate Professor of Communications and Media Studies, John Cabot University, IT), Elke Schwarz (Associate Professor, Queen Mary University London, UK), Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud (Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, NO), Ishmael Bhila (PhD Researcher, Paderborn University, ZW/DE), Jack Poulson (Executive Director, Tech Inquiry, US), Jennifer Menninger (German Section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – WILPF, DE), Joana Moll (Artist & Researcher, Professor of Networks, Academy of Media Arts Cologne, ES/DE), Jutta Weber (Professor for Media, Culture & Society, Paderborn University, DE), Lisa Ling (Whistleblower, Technologist, former Technical Sergeant, US Air Force Drone Surveillance Programme, US), Lucy Suchman (Professor Emerita, Lancaster University, UK/CA), Marijn Hoijtink (Associate Professor in International Relations, Principle Investigator PLATFORM WARS, University of Antwerp, NL/BE), Marwa Fatafta (Researcher, Policy Analyst and Digital Rights Expert, PS/DE), Matt Mahmoudi (Researcher & Advisor on AI & Human Rights at Amnesty Tech/Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities at Uni. of Cambridge, DK/IR/UK), Matthias Monroy (Editor of the German civil rights journal Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP and nd.Der Tag, DE), Naomi Colvin (Whistleblower Advocate and UK/Ireland/Belgium Programme Director at Blueprint for Free Speech, UK), Nil Uzun (Research Associate, Institute for Sociology, Research Group “Technology and Diversity”, RWTH Aachen University, TR/DE), Shona Illingworth (Artist and Professor of Art, Film and Media, University of Kent, DK/UK), Sophia Goodfriend (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative, Journalist, +972 Magazine, IL), Tatiana Bazzichelli (Research Director, Disruption Network Institute, Artistic Director, Disruption Network Lab, IT/DE), Thomas Drake (Whistleblower, former Senior Executive at the National Security Agency, US).

Photo: Courtesy of Distruption Network Lab