Algorithmic Frontlines? – Leuphana Security Dialogue

2026-06-24 As part of the Leuphana Security Dialogue on June 24, 2026, Dr. Heiko Borchert (Defense AI Observatory, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg) and Frederik Carl Windfeld (European University Institute) discussed the topic “Algorithmic Frontlines? AI and Autonomous Weapons in Contemporary Warfare.” Dr. Wolfgang Minatti (Leuphana) moderated the discussion on the growing role of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems in modern warfare.

At the start of the discussion, Heiko Borchert broke down the term “AI” itself and distinguished between large language models, machine learning, and autonomous platforms—different generations of “AI” currently being deployed in conflicts ranging from Ukraine to Gaza. Frederik Carl Windfeld supplemented this technical classification with a critical perspective and warned against a “Californian ideology” of technological determinism, which assumes that innovations from Silicon Valley automatically translate into transformative military capabilities. Drawing on his research, Windfeld compared the current AI hype to the “balloon mania” of the 19th century and argued that, historically speaking, new technologies rarely revolutionize warfare as quickly and comprehensively as their proponents claim. Borchert countered this with the findings of his recent comparative study on AI strategies in the defense sectors of 25 countries and presented the Bundeswehr’s current efforts in the AI sector.

While both speakers warned of the ethical consequences of AI and autonomous weapons systems in warfare, they differed on one key point. While Borchert viewed AI as a fundamentally neutral technology for which an appropriate approach must be found, Windfeld noted that such technologies never emerge without associated “imaginaries”—in the case of AI, for example, efficiency and acceleration—and that these would inevitably shape the use of the technology.