18 March 2026

Key questions of reliability and accountability emerge in military AI use in Iran

Ian Reynolds

With the help of artificial intelligence, the United States struck 1,000 Iranian targets in the first 24 hours of the war that began on February 28. America’s ongoing military campaign in Iran, along with recent operations that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, demonstrate the degree to which AI-enabled tools are now integrated into the practices of war. Despite the reported use of these tools, it’s unclear how they are evaluated for performance and reliability and the degree to which human judgment is retained or diminished.

This lack of clarity could introduce serious risks into military campaigns and lead to the prioritization of metrics, such as the speed of operational and tactical decision making, rather than achieving strategic and political goals.

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