Gio
07
Mag
Seminari e Convegni
Computers, AI, and US Military Power: Revisiting "The Closed World"
The seminar “Computers, Artificial Intelligence, and U.S. Military Power: Revisiting The Closed World”, delivered by Paul N. Edwards (Stanford University and University of Michigan, USA), is organized by the Nexa Center for Internet & Society.
The event will take place on 7 May 2026, at 4:00 pm
Abstract
Thirty years ago, The Closed World (Edwards, 1996) outlined the influence of U.S. military strategy and funding during the Cold War on the history of computing, including artificial intelligence (AI). A major attempt to integrate AI into weapons systems failed in the 1980s, but also helped shape the development of systems now in use and others still emerging.
This talk will briefly revisit the central argument of The Closed World, and then consider whether and how it may apply to the successes and failures of military AI in the 21st century, in a context characterized by the increasing speed and stealth of modern weapons systems and the corresponding reduction in decision times. Private-sector actors now market AI tools to the United States, NATO, and other military forces. Key issues such as accuracy, data quality, reliability, and the role of human judgment affect the use of AI in weapons, tactics, and strategy.
What role has AI played in recent conflicts involving the United States? Will the coming decade further strengthen the global dominance of American military power, or will it bring about its decline?
Biography
Paul N. Edwards is Emeritus Director of the Program on Science, Technology & Society at Stanford University and Emeritus Professor of Information and History at the University of Michigan. His research and teaching focus on the history, politics, and culture of information infrastructures.
He is the author of A Vast Machine: Computer Models, Climate Data, and the Politics of Global Warming (MIT Press, 2010) and The Closed World: Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America (MIT Press, 1996), and co-editor of Changing the Atmosphere: Expert Knowledge and Environmental Governance (MIT Press, 2001), as well as numerous articles. Together with Janet Vertesi, he co-edits the Infrastructures book series for MIT Press. He currently lives in Marseille, France.
The seminar will be held both in person and online at the following link.
For further information, please visit the event website or contact Valeria Bergantino.
The event will take place on 7 May 2026, at 4:00 pm
Abstract
Thirty years ago, The Closed World (Edwards, 1996) outlined the influence of U.S. military strategy and funding during the Cold War on the history of computing, including artificial intelligence (AI). A major attempt to integrate AI into weapons systems failed in the 1980s, but also helped shape the development of systems now in use and others still emerging.
This talk will briefly revisit the central argument of The Closed World, and then consider whether and how it may apply to the successes and failures of military AI in the 21st century, in a context characterized by the increasing speed and stealth of modern weapons systems and the corresponding reduction in decision times. Private-sector actors now market AI tools to the United States, NATO, and other military forces. Key issues such as accuracy, data quality, reliability, and the role of human judgment affect the use of AI in weapons, tactics, and strategy.
What role has AI played in recent conflicts involving the United States? Will the coming decade further strengthen the global dominance of American military power, or will it bring about its decline?
Biography
Paul N. Edwards is Emeritus Director of the Program on Science, Technology & Society at Stanford University and Emeritus Professor of Information and History at the University of Michigan. His research and teaching focus on the history, politics, and culture of information infrastructures.
He is the author of A Vast Machine: Computer Models, Climate Data, and the Politics of Global Warming (MIT Press, 2010) and The Closed World: Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America (MIT Press, 1996), and co-editor of Changing the Atmosphere: Expert Knowledge and Environmental Governance (MIT Press, 2001), as well as numerous articles. Together with Janet Vertesi, he co-edits the Infrastructures book series for MIT Press. He currently lives in Marseille, France.
The seminar will be held both in person and online at the following link.
For further information, please visit the event website or contact Valeria Bergantino.