[akudha]

Genuinely curious - what more weapons do we need? Especially western superpowers? Do we not have enough weaponry to destroy this planet million times over?

What more destructive power can AI provide, beyond the already existing drones/biological etc etc?

[ben_w]

Now you can, but 120 years ago the British Empire ruled the waves with no reason to think battleships or cavalry would ever be obsolete.

The machine gun and trench warfare forced the development of the tank.

Once aircraft became military useful, battleships were rapidly vulnerable to aircraft and hence aircraft carriers.

I can imagine replacing naval mines with normally-quiescent remote-triggered torpedoes that are scattered on the seafloor a decade in advance.

How effective are troops against 3D printed drones designed to mimic animals (including birds), but which have a short-range firearm and some computer vision? Or engineered mosquitoes with the bare minimum of remote control, perhaps similar to the "cyborg cockroach" kits that have been on sale for about 9 years now? (Or just weaponise those 'roaches…)

What happens if you can predict what a command officer will say, use an AI to fake a their voice before they've spoken, and interfere with the communications to give misleading orders in the heat of combat? Doesn't even need to be a big change to the orders to alter the outcome.

(Obviously everything I've thought of in 5 minutes, the actual military will have categorised into "haha no" and "let's wargame this scenario"; I assume mostly the former).

[ted_bunny]

Can I preorder your novel?

[ben_w]

I'm redoing the final two chapters before I even look for a publisher. But I've been at it (in my spare time) for six years, so don't hold your breath.

(I'm not sure if your reply was a thumbs-up or a serious question, but that's a serious answer).

[ted_bunny]

It was both. I'm glad you're making the effort, whether it's in limbo or not!

[ben_w]

Thanks, I appreciate the boost ^_^

[philwelch]

It’s not a question of destructive power. Destroying the earth has no strategic value because we need the earth. But there are a number of other problems that need to be solved, such as gathering and analyzing intelligence, precision strikes that harm the enemy while sparing friendlies and civilians, and so forth that have not been perfected.

[Turing_Machine]

> Do we not have enough weaponry to destroy this planet million times over?

You do understand that there are nuances here, yes? In other words, that there are military operations that lie somewhere between "do nothing" and "destroy the entire world"?