Rules of Engagement

Following a stint advising the US Department of Defense on warfare’s AI-inflected future, political science professor and Perry World House director Michael C. Horowitz is back at the helm of Penn’s “home for global policy engagement.”

In February 2023 the United States issued a declaration outlining how militaries should develop and deploy autonomous and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities ethically, responsibly, and effectively. The idea was to use these new technologies to enhance international security, not undermine it.

The US endorsed the rules for its own forces and asked other countries to do the same. “We invite all states to join us in implementing international norms, as it pertains to military development and use of AI,” said Bonnie Jenkins, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security in the Biden administration, when the announcement was made at the Hague. As of November 27, 2024, according to the US Department of State website, some 58 countries had signed on, including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Israel, and Germany (but not North Korea, Iran, China, or Russia).

This document—the Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy—was written by Michael C. Horowitz, who at the time was serving as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and emerging capabilities. He was on loan to the Pentagon from Penn, where he is the Richard Perry Professor in the Department of Political Science and director of Perry World House, which bills itself as Penn’s “home for global policy engagement,” connecting scholars and students with non-academic experts in areas encompassing climate change, democracy, security, and human rights and global justice.