Response to “The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Problem”

This insightful piece by Andrew Cockburn in this month's Harper's Magazine outlines how big tech continues to fail at automating warfare at the cost of the taxpayer. I don't know what to do with the frustrating knowledge that companies like Palantir, Google, and Microsoft get paid billions for systems that don't work. The push to apply AI to the battlefield seems like a ploy by companies get further investment in a novel technology with a lack of a proven track record. AI can help you write a better Language Arts paper, but it can easily be fooled when relied on heavily in the battlefield. Cockburn cites Israel's reliance upon AI prior to Hamas' devasting October 7 attack and marines being able to go undetected by tracking systems with a simple face covering.

Questions I have:

Are we investing too much in AI?

Can defense contractors write clauses into their contracts for a return of funds when products fail to deliver?

How overhyped is AI's potential?

What will the economic impacts be if/when the AI bubble bursts?

Should I ask ChatGPT these questions or would it be better to ask an expert?