J. Assange: AI is used for mass killings in Gaza

AI allows large-scale attacks

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, an online whistleblowing platform specializing in analyzing and publishing large datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official material related to war, espionage, and corruption, has raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the mass killings in Gaza, according to the website.

Israel's multi-front attacks against Iranian-backed pro-Palestinian paramilitary groups in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon are reportedly among the deadliest in more than seven decades of conflict. Assange alleges that the military is using artificial intelligence to automate and speed up the process of identifying and striking targets, allegedly contributing to a form of mass murder in Gaza.

The ethical and human rights issues surrounding the deployment of AI are receiving no less attention^[1].

It is believed that these technologies are being used to destroy human life on a genocidal scale systematically. The AI thus has another implication: in warfare, it can mechanize violence, and it is important to consider who should bear responsibility in such cases, not to mention the scale of the bloodbath.

"Whereas before there was a distinction between killing and warfare, now the two are merging, with many, if not most, of the targets in Gaza being bombed by the AI", says J. Assange.

Emphasizes the importance of the link between AI and surveillance

"Intelligence needs information to identify targets, ideas or propaganda. When it comes to using artificial intelligence to commit mass murder, surveillance data from phones, the internet, is essential to train those algorithms", Assange explained.

Over the past year, Israel has carried out several mass killings as part of its genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip. This week, around 100 Palestinians were killed in 24 hours when Israeli troops targeted homes and schools where displaced families were taking refuge. Overall, it was reported in early October 2024 that the number of Palestinians displaced from their homes since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 has risen by 2024. More than 43 000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since 2023. The vast majority of these casualties occurred in the Gaza Strip, including many women, children and civilians. The conflict has caused heavy losses and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

In Lebanon, where Israel launched a bombing campaign a few weeks ago, the Ministry of Health reported that more than two thousand people have died so far. Continuous air and ground attacks in Gaza and southern Lebanon have also affected civilian infrastructure, leaving millions homeless.

However, Assange also mentions other threats. The rights of journalists and publishers hang in the balance, as is allegedly the case with him. Released after a plea bargain with the US authorities, Assange said: 

"I finally chose freedom over unworkable justice after being detained for years and facing 175 years in prison with no effective remedy", adding that he is free today not because the system worked, but because he pleaded guilty. Assange's imprisonment is known to be linked to his work as the publisher of the leaked documents, which has given rise to much controversy about freedom of the press, government transparency and national security.

J. Assange rose to fame in 2006 when he set up a huge library called WikiLeaks, which contains the world's most persecuted documents. The leaked documents included almost 400 000 secret US military documents and footage from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2010, leaked documents revealed field reports and war logs detailing torture and extrajudicial killings.

Some lay people whisper that if we look at the definition of a political prisoner, Assange and his case fit the definition: 

"He was convicted for being a journalist, a case of politically motivated imprisonment," the internets scream.

WikiLeaks has provided news on key events in Palestine

One of WikiLeaks' contributions to Palestine is said to have been to give lay people an insight into today's reality in lands that might otherwise have remained invisible^[2].

In March 2008, secret cables revealed that US diplomats had learned that Tel Aviv's intention in imposing a comprehensive siege on Gaza was "to keep Gaza's economy as low as possible to avoid a humanitarian crisis". The leaked documents reveal that Israel is allegedly following the strategy outlined in 2006 by Dov Weisglass, a senior adviser to then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who spoke of 'putting the Palestinians on a diet, but not starving them to death'.

In 2011, some WikiLeaks reports revealed the depth of the conspiracy between corrupt PA officials and their Israeli counterparts^[3]. 

In 2019, Assange was charged by the US administration with violating the Espionage Act. He has, therefore, been detained for the past 14 years in the Ecuadorian embassy in central London and for five years in Britain's Belmarsh prison.