Book Review: War Virtually

A book review by?Lauren Van Veen, Solutions Architect.

??Thinking Critically About an Algorithmic Future??

In his newly-released book,?War Virtually,?author Roberto J. Gonzalez takes a critical eye and an anthropological approach to recent technological innovations in warfare and security. Gonzalez lays out his argument in a clear and coherent manner, working sequentially through various advancements and undermining the current, often utopian, lens through which they seem to promise a future free of collateral damage and battlefield casualties.

Having observed first-hand the dangers posed by algorithm-enabled propaganda and big data-driven manipulation of democratic institutions, I can't help but agree with the vast majority of Gonzalez's points.?

The topic I find most intriguing in this text is the critique of recent attempts by tech firms and militaries to rapidly collect and distill socio-cultural knowledge into a format usable by analysts - what Gonzalez calls "culture in a box." (Ch 1).

Gonzalez goes on to argue that such information is often "superficial, shallow, [and] devoid of context." (ibid). Given time and resource constraints, there is certainly an ever-growing demand to automate as many of an analyst's tasks as possible. There is, then, a danger of undetected algorithmic bias, increased cognitive distancing from analyst to the adversary, and tech-induced overconfidence.

Do these risks compensate for the operational risks posed by an insufficiently detailed intelligence picture? My main critique of this text is that Gonzalez seems to assume that the military is not aware of the often reductionist and overly quantitative approach it takes when defining such elusive concepts as adversary intent, culture, and group biases (Ch 5.).

In my experience, many analysts and decision-makers are very much aware of these issues. The problem we face as defence professionals is how to ensure, with the increasing automation of tasks, that this awareness is engrained within our processes, and not diminished.

Finally, Gonzalez suggests that decision-makers in the military often approach virtual warfare idealistically and irrationally, noting that "even if the technology works flawlessly, overconfidence in automated or autonomous systems can warp human decision-making processes." (Ch 2). Indeed, I think all of us employed in the defence and security sphere have witnessed both this phenomenon and its reverse in some capacity. The commander who mistrusts technology and stubbornly refuses to innovate, clutching their paper maps and notepads, poses just as much of a potential risk as the commander who enforces innovation at any cost, without a thorough understanding of the risks.?

Overall, I found?War Virtually?to be an accessible, informed overview of the problems posed by algorithmic warfare. I would echo Gonzalez in suggesting that we incorporate technology in the defence sphere based on accurate, performance-based evaluations, rather than an unquestioned assumption that technological progress is always a positive.?