Israel's use of artificial intelligence system in Gaza further increases civilian casualties: Expert

By Sule Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Gaza-based researcher in artificial intelligence ethics told Anadolu that Israel's use of a system called Gospel in Gaza has increased civilian casualties.

The Israeli army used the automated target identification system for the first time in Gaza City during its ongoing war, said Dr. Nour Naim.

"Israel, using the artificial intelligence technology called Gospel, hit 15,000 targets in the first 35 days of the attacks. This number is much higher than the number of targets hit in previous operations in the region,” said Naim.

"Israel was able to hit nearly 6,000 targets during the 51-day conflict in 2014," she noted.

Naim stressed that unlike the artificial intelligence technology, Fire Factory, used by Israel in 2021, the number of targets is not considered in the Gospel application.

"In Fire Factory, the number of targets was set at five people due to potential secondary harm arising from errors in artificial intelligence technology. However, Gospel, which has decision-making ability, has the capability to kill and destroy without considering the number of targets,” according to Naim.

“Therefore, the number of victims can range from zero to 1 million. This means that (Israel) has a vast database of intelligence and a wide range of information about civilians," she said.

"Israel is killing thousands of people for a single target that it may never reach in Gaza,” she said. “We witnessed the brutality of using artificial intelligence during the war.”

Thousands of victims have been injured or killed as a result of wild artificial intelligence technology, which is unprecedented in modern-era wars, added Naim.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7, killing at least 21,110 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 55,243, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz