The use of AI in war games could change military strategy

• The rise of commercially viable generative artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform a vast range of sectors.
• Generative AI will fundamentally reshape war gaming — analytical games that simulate aspects of warfare at tactical, operational or strategic levels — by allowing senior military and political leaders to pursue better tactical solutions to unexpected crises, solve more complex logistical and operational challenges and deepen their strategic thinking.

The art of war gaming

• From its inception, war gaming has been intended to offer realistic training to commanders that could otherwise only be gained through real-world experience.
• War gaming also offers a way to test operational plans, allowing leaders to gain experience planning large-scale operations and work through complex logistical challenges.
• Lastly, war games provide the foundation for a common strategic culture within a country’s military and national security institutions.

Generative AI

• As with other strategy games like chess, Risk and Go, generative AI will be capable of challenging commanders’ handling of battlefield tactics.
• Advances in AI could allow military leaders to gain additional competencies in handling sophisticated military AI and receive tactical advice from a broader range of perspectives.
• Lastly, generative AI will allow war games to incorporate more strategy, providing invaluable insights and experience to both military and political leaders.

Preparing for uncertainty

• AI’s capacity to introduce new developments into game play, including through its faulty assumptions, will force commanders to prepare for uncertainty and the “fog of war,” an increasingly necessary skill in the complex environment of contemporary combat.
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Military science revolution

• The rise of generative AI and its contribution to war gaming will likely prompt yet another revolution in the field of military science.
• These games will improve the realism of training exercises and prepare leaders for the future of conflict, solve complex logistical challenges and spark new innovations in overarching military strategy.

John Long Burnham does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.