Presenter
Dr Rupert Barrett-Taylor
The Alan Turing Institute
Dr Rupert Barrett-Taylor is a Research Fellow within the AI for Data-Driven Advantage (AIDA) defence-focused policy research workstream within the Defence and National Security grand challenge. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Sussex, where his research was grounded in science and technology studies.
Drawing on a background in aerospace engineering, war studies, and extensive professional experience across defence, government, and industry, his work examines how digital technologies are reshaping the conduct and governance of war. His current research focuses on the ethical, operational, and epistemological implications of artificial intelligence and automation in military contexts, with particular attention to decision-making, control, and accountability.
Dr Rupert Barrett-Taylor from The Alan Turing Institute, will present a seminar on
Thursday, 12 March 2026.
Title: Between Promise and Practice: The Challenges of AI in Military Command.
Abstract: The integration of AI into battlefield decision-making presents a complex set of practical, legal, cultural, and ethical challenges. While military institutions anticipate that AI will enhance situational awareness, streamline staff processes, and accelerate operational tempo, its effective incorporation into existing doctrinal models remains uncertain. This presentation explores three interrelated obstacles to meaningful AI adoption in a battlefield context. First, and very practically, contemporary command posts and headquarters lack the computational infrastructure and conceptual clarity necessary to support AI-enabled systems. There is little agreement on which tasks AI should augment or how it should be embedded within established decision-making frameworks. Second, culturally, and socially although AI promises to assist commanders, it cannot substitute for human judgment, experience, or inspiration. The presentation explores how AI may reconfigure collective understanding of leadership, authority, and behaviour in warfare. It will highlighting the persistent gap between technological promise and operational reality. Expectations are often shaped less by military necessity than by institutional politics, commercial incentives, and belief in technological progress. Third, reliance on commercial information infrastructures, open-source data, and AI-generated insights introduces new vulnerabilities alongside new capabilities. Together, these challenges suggest that substantial doctrinal, organisational, and cultural adaptation will be required before AI can be reliably integrated into battlefield decision-making.
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