During the recent conflict in Gaza, Israeli commanders utilised a new tool called "Knowledge Well," which provided real-time information about Palestinian rocket launches. This platform, similar to WhatsApp, offered details on the location, frequency, and range of the rocket launches. Looking ahead to future confrontations, Colonel Eli Birenbaum, head of the military's operational data and applications unit, plans to employ artificial intelligence (AI) aggregation to predict rocket barrages. In an interview with Reuters, he expressed his desire to leverage information effectively to enhance the capabilities of the forces in the field.
Birenbaum highlighted that approximately half of Israel's military technologists will focus on AI by 2028. This shift began when he oversaw the development of the country's first machine-learning platform in 2016, which aimed to detect hacking attempts. Currently, hundreds of personnel are involved in AI-related projects, constituting 20 per cent of the military technologists. However, Birenbaum predicts that within the next five years, their numbers will reach the thousands.
The Israeli government supports Birenbaum's efforts, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu increasing the defence budget and committing to establish Israel as a prominent AI powerhouse. Nevertheless, this emphasis on AI also presents a staffing challenge. As lower-level coding roles are phased out, humans will be required to take on positions demanding extensive training.
Birenbaum described the process of cultivating a data scientist, emphasising the need for substantial educational commitment and military service. Addressing this issue, he stated, "Creating a data scientist from scratch means telling an 18-year-old kid: 'Listen, this is your future... You must commit to a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and then do six years' military service.'" Birenbaum shared his perspective from his base near Tel Aviv, where computer rooms buzzed with activity as troops worked collaboratively in front of large screens, surrounded by the hum of cooling systems for massive servers.
During their mandatory military service, which lasts two years for women and 32 months for men, military technologists receive a monthly salary of $335. In the subsequent years of service, the salary increases to approximately $2,300, significantly lower than the $8,400 they could potentially earn in civilian roles.
Acknowledging the salary gap, Birenbaum admitted, "It's no secret that I can't compete with the Google or Facebook salaries. What can I offer? Meaningfulness." He highlighted the significance of their work, solving national-level problems that require sifting through multiple layers of complexity.
While AI arms races raise moral concerns worldwide, Birenbaum emphasised that AI target acquisition in Israel does not translate to automated target destruction. He stressed that, for the foreseeable future, human operators will remain in the loop, ensuring a human decision-making component in the process.