Organized by the Foundation for the National Interest, together with the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, with the support of The Asia Foundation and Amador Research Services, the sixth installment of the "Kwentong Mandaragat" webinar series was held on March 25, 2021. The sixth webinar discussed the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a fourth industrial technology, and its impact in the future of warfare. The discussants of the webinar featured Dr. William Boothby RAF RET of the Australian National University, Atty. Gunjan Chawla of the Centre for Communication Governance, and Prof. Jay Batongbacal of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. The webinar explored the topic of AI as an emerging technology and how this concretely changes the landscape of warfare. While the use of AI is prominently exclusive in economic and social sectors, the turn to defense and security issues nuances AI as a potential catalyst for bigger changes in the conduct of warfare, effectively and inevitably implicating matters of national security domestically and regionally. The webinar also explored the importance of the human agency in pursuing AI technology in defense and national security and how this is ultimately embedded in ethical concerns and decision-making, thinning the line between bias and machine learning.
The webinar is expected to set the tone for the next installments of the Kwentong Mandaragat series.
The event was attended by individuals from the academe, government, and private sectors, nationwide.
Screenshots of the event found below.