The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have claimed the world’s first use of artificial intelligence (AI)
and supercomputing in its recent conflict with Hamas.
IDF said it relied heavily on machine learning and data gathering
for a period of over two years during its operation Guardian of the Walls.
An IDF Intelligence Corps senior officer was quoted by Jerusalem Post as saying.
“For the first time, artificial intelligence was a key component and power multiplier in
fighting the enemy. This is a first-of-its-kind campaign for the IDF. We implemented new methods
of operation and used technological developments that were a force multiplier for the entire IDF.”
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Israel's claim that it is the first to use AI
and supercomputing in a war holds true? Let's get started.
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This recent conflict began on May 10, 2021.
The fighting saw Hamas firing an estimated 4,300 rockets toward Israel and Israel conducting 1,500
airstrikes in the nearly two weeks of fighting.
The recent fighting is some of the most fierce since the 2014 conflict.
The interesting part is that IDF was able to carry out pinpoint airstrikes against Hamas targets
deep inside Gaza and took down at least a hundred of their top operatives.
This is not an easy feat since the Hamas was prepared for air-raids and hid its assets
both - men and material in obscure locations amid civilians.
Most of the infrastructure built by Hamas and its supporters in the Gaza Strip was destroyed
by the Israeli jets, which were targets identified through military intelligence.
Importantly very limited ground troops took part in the whole offensive.
The Israeli military says it adapted the AI technologies already available in the civilian
market to its needs in military intelligence. An advanced AI core platform was conceptualized
and all data on militant groups in the Gaza Strip was feed into it for evaluation.
Israel has foreseen military use of AI and being in a highly sensitive region, has invested in it.
The country has prioritized the concepts of machine learning and algorithm-driven warfare
at the forefront of its research and development for years.
Viewers may note that AI works by combining large amounts of data
with fast, iterative processing and intelligent algorithms,
allowing the software to learn automatically from patterns or features in the data.
Tonnes of raw data of data collected through satellites, aerial reconnaissance vehicles,
field agents, ground intel were put into the system.
IDF reportedly employed resources like signal intelligence (SIGINT),
visual intelligence (VISINT), human intelligence (HUMINT),
geographical intelligence (GEOINT) to collect data and feed it into its supercomputers
to help the military identify targets and carry out effective strikes.
According to the report by Jerusalem Post, it was IDF’s elite intelligence officers
in Unit 8200, who pioneered algorithms and code to create advanced programs named “Alchemist,”
“Gospel” and “Depth of Wisdom,” which were developed and used during the fighting.
One important aspect of the operation has been Israel’s success
in pre-identification and targeting of underground tunnel networks used by Hamas.
IDF stated that it carried extensive mapping to identify the hundreds of
kilometers of tunnel networks that Hamas has been using for years.
The tunnel construction employed in the first employed extensively in 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict
has its origins in the tunnels of Egypt that were constructed to overcome Egyptian
and Israeli economic blockade on the coastal enclave which has been in effect since 2007.
The tunnels into Israel were constructed using the expertise of the Rafah families
who have specialized in digging tunnels into Egypt for commerce and smuggling.
Hamas’s underground tunnel network, called the “Metro”, has been very
crucial to its operations against Israel. The tunnels are used to smuggle goods, including
weapons, which are prevented by the Israeli blockade from reaching Gaza over land and sea.
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, an Israeli security think tank stated:
"Tunnel warfare provided armies facing a technologically superior
adversary with an effective means for countering its air superiority
According to the IDF Spokesperson, over the last decade, Hamas has invested millions of dollars
into digging extensive tunnel infrastructure below the surface of the Gaza Strip.
With AI & other supporting technologies, Israel was able to identify and pinpoint them.
One video posted on Twitter showed Hamas digging out bodies from a tunnel
destroyed by Israeli precision airstrikes. This unit was reportedly on its way to
attack Israeli troops when a missile dropping from the sky destroying it.
Now Hamas has been deprived of a key combat strategy.
Artificial intelligence is thought to have been used in many conflicts in the past,
but the way Israel has used it this time is the clearest demonstration
of its ability to change the course of a battle.
IDF says the use of AI had significantly reduced the civilian casualties
though some airstrikes are being investigated by world bodies, including the UN.
But overall, it can be seen that IDF has been able to inflict heavy damage on
Hamas in this short time period without suffering huge casualties of its own.
Israel has always been steps ahead of its rivals and the latest conflict is another example.
While no system is perfect Israel seems to keep on optimizing its assets
and this has helped it overcome its rivals.
It is not wrong to say that Israel has ushered in a new age,
especially when it comes to battles in urban landscapes.