Show Notes
The Pentagon has spent years building AI tools to help identify targets, speed up battlefield decisions, and make war more “efficient.” What started as an effort to analyze drone footage has grown into something bigger and much more unsettling.
Sean talks with Bloomberg’s Katrina Manson about Project Maven, the Defense Department’s long-running push to bring AI into warfighting. They discuss how these systems actually work, what “human in the loop” really means, why autonomy is no longer some far-off sci-fi scenario, and what happens when the speed and scale of machine decision-making collide with the fog of war. This episode was produced in partnership with Vox's Future Perfect.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Katrina Manson (@KatrinaManson)
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday.
Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from The Gray Area with Sean Illing
What does it mean to have a good life when so much feels wrong?
Can prediction markets serve a purpose beyond gambling?
What happens to a society when its members become increasingly wary of one another, and relationships break down based on gender lines?
Is wanting to be rich selfish? Does making money require exploiting other people? Or can the pursuit of wealth actually benefit society?