Di fast and shocking way wey artificial intelligence (AI) dey grow don bring plenty wahala for di world, but di one wey dey fear people pass na how e dey enter military mata.

For people wey no like war and di millions of people wey dey suffer from places like Palestine and Ukraine, wetin dey worry dem pass na di kain attention wey governments for di world dey give AI.

At least 20 countries don already start military AI programmes. For example, di Pentagon dey run more than 800 AI projects, from autonomous vehicles to intelligence analysis and decision support. China sef dey invest big for wetin dem dey call 'intelligentised warfare.'

Di talk about AI and war no be theory again. As AI dey enter military planning and operations, e dey change how dem dey fight war and di way conflict dey escalate or calm down.

AI no be experiment again. E don already dey shape how military dey plan, fight, and think about power. AI surveillance systems fit scan thousands of video feeds at once and detect threat faster pass human beings. Autonomous vehicles dey learn how to find targets without much human control. AI-powered air defence systems fit identify and destroy aerial threats sharp sharp, pass wetin human fit do.

Cyberattacks and defence sef dey depend on AI to outsmart each other for di digital battlefield. Even decisions for di battlefield dey now dey guided by algorithms wey fit process information faster pass human commanders.

Some of dis AI use don already cause global alarm. For example, Israel dey use AI systems like Gospel and Lavender for di war wey dem dey fight for Gaza. Dem dey use am to recommend targets for air strikes, sometimes with small human oversight.

Evidence dey show say dis AI systems dey contribute to di high number of civilian deaths and di wahala wey dey make e hard to separate fighters from civilians. But di main problem no be AI itself; na di political decisions wey leaders dey make about how dem wan use di tools, di risk wey dem dey ready to take, and how much dem dey allow human judgement to guide AI outputs.

AI dey act like mirror for di people wey dey power, dey justify di political choices wey dem dey make, even if e mean dem go ignore moral and legal responsibility under di excuse of machine efficiency.

AI dey also change di way conflict dey start and escalate. Scholars don talk say things like uncertainty, signalling, and credibility dey shape conflict. AI dey change all dis things in ways wey people never fully understand.

First, AI fit make di decision to start fight quick quick because machines fit assess threat and respond within milliseconds. Dis one fit make leaders no think twice before dem start wahala.

Second, AI dey scatter di traditional way wey deterrence dey work. AI systems fit make decision-making process no clear, so e go hard for enemies to understand wetin di other side wan do or how serious dem dey.

Third, AI fit cause new kain escalation. For example, autonomous drones fit react to missile defence systems wey dey also autonomous, and dis kain machine-to-machine interaction fit create wahala wey humans no go fit control.

All dis things dey show say di way wey conflict dey work dey change, but scholars never agree where dis change dey lead us go. Di danger na say di structures wey dey guide conflict before, like restraint and de-escalation, fit no work again.

AI dey make di time wey people dey take to make decision for war dey shorter. AI systems dey analyse battlefield data in real-time, so di time between detecting threat and responding dey reduce well well.

Dis kain speed fit make human deliberation, wey before dey important for statecraft, look like liability. Di faster military fit act, di more advantage dem get, so dem go wan automate more and deliberate less.

AI go also make di gaps for autonomy become weapon. If one side dey follow ethical or legal rules for how dem dey use autonomous systems, di other side fit use am against dem. Di level of autonomy wey military AI systems get go even become way to show power and pressure di enemy.

Di integration of AI into military no just be about new technology. Di risk of mistake, uncontrolled escalation, and moral wahala dey increase. Di future of war no go depend only on who get di best AI, but on who sabi how to use am and how far dem wan go.

(Dis na di second part of a four-part series on how AI dey change di world. Next: Di economic shift)