18:32 15-10-2025

U.S. Military Tests AI in War Games, Exposing Its Limits

© By ChatGPT - Own work, Public Domain, Link

The U.S. military tested AI in command exercises, revealing both its speed in strategic planning and its limits in complex decisions, including radical scenarios.

The U.S. military has, for the first time, tested artificial intelligence during command-post exercises, aiming to assess its potential in supporting operational planning and decision-making. The experiment, reported by War on the Rocks, gave Pentagon analysts a closer look at how AI performs under real strategic pressure.

The initial results impressed observers: the system proved highly efficient in the early stages of the exercises. It quickly processed vast amounts of data, outlined multiple scenarios, and offered several possible courses of action for each situation. Analysts concluded that AI can provide meaningful assistance to officers during planning — though it cannot yet replace them.

As the drills grew more complex, the limitations became clearer. When strategies required deeper development and nuance, the technology’s role diminished, and the final responsibility shifted back to the officers.

Military personnel often turned to AI in areas outside their core expertise. Artillery units, for example, relied on the system to tackle logistical challenges, while engineering teams used it to plan supply operations. Specialists working within their own fields, however, did not always find the AI’s recommendations valuable. This reinforced a central conclusion of the report: artificial intelligence can complement human judgment but not substitute for it in critical decision-making.

Earlier computer simulations revealed the potential dangers of unchecked algorithmic logic. In scenarios modeling the outbreak of a global conflict, the AI suggested extreme measures — including a preemptive nuclear strike. Its calculation was simple and cold: since nuclear weapons were available, they should be used to minimize losses, disregarding diplomatic solutions or the risks of retaliation.