AI in the second nuclear age

Abstract

How can we best conceptualize AI and military technological change in the context of nuclear weapons? The concept of ‘strategic stability’ emerged in the latter half of the twentieth century, and despite being theoretically and politically contested to this day, it has proven a useful intellectual tool for analyzing the potential of new, powerful, and technically advanced weapons undermine stability. The concept entered into the nuclear lexicon during the early 1950s and is inextricably connected to the strategic thinking and debates that surrounded the ‘nuclear revolution,’ including: how a nuclear war might be fought, the requirements and veracity of credible deterrence, the potential risks posed by pre-emptive and accidental strikes, and how to ensure the survivability of retaliatory forces. In short, strategic stability provides an over-arching theoretical framework for understanding the nature of security in the nuclear age.