Preserving security in a world with powerful AI Considerations for the future Defense Architecture

TL;DR

This paper discusses how advances in AI challenge current defense systems and proposes the need for new architecture elements and immediate adaptations to maintain national security.

Contribution

It highlights the inadequacy of existing defense architectures against AI threats and suggests specific steps to adapt national laboratories for resilience.

Findings

Current defense systems are vulnerable to AI-enabled threats.

Legacy systems alone cannot ensure security in the AI era.

Immediate adaptation steps are necessary for resilience.

Abstract

Advances in AI threaten to invalidate assumptions underpinning today's defense architecture. We argue that the current U.S. defense program of record, designed in an era before capable machine intelligence, cannot by itself preserve national security against rapidly emerging AI enabled threats. Instead, shoring up legacy systems must be coupled with entirely new elements of a defense architecture. We outline immediate steps to adapt the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration National Laboratories to ensure agility and resilience in an era of powerful AI.