“We can’t run away from this.” Former Intelligence Agency officer on technology that will change the battlefield

Tomasz Stankiewicz, “Wprost”: Colonel, I will start with new technologies, because your latest novel “Revolta AI”, written together with Rafał Barnaś, will concern precisely these issues. What are these issues? What are we talking about today?

Lt. Col. Marcin Faliński: This is primarily a matter of the development of new technologies. How do they affect us? Can we stop this progress at all? Will he destroy humanity? These are big challenges, but there are also those closer to our everyday lives: screen addictions, the impact of new technologies on our individual decisions, on our perception of the world and on our dependence on them. These are the two main topics, but we are also talking about the use of artificial intelligence and its tools to conduct activities, especially offensive ones, during the hybrid war that we are conducting with Russia.

Let’s stick to the interview. How does intelligence use artificial intelligence and the latest technologies today?

I think it is happening more and more often and there is no turning back from it. We’re seeing, especially in the armed forces who can make certain information more public, how they’re starting to take advantage of it. Various security systems, even physical ones, using this technology are emerging. So I think that the intelligence services also follow this lead and use these solutions.

This isn’t the first time we’ve talked. Recently you also mentioned AI, including in the context of detecting booby traps in packages. What would that look like?

There are appropriate detectors which – as I have heard – can now perform such detection even from a distance of 50 meters. It’s probably very complicated, but such a solution is already available. That is why it is so important to implement these systems for use. This cannot wait for years, because we are used to various types of tenders and this type of legal solutions. It has to come in here and now. There is no time for this. It’s good that decision-makers can see it at events such as today’s (Defence24Days – editor’s note). Maybe something will speak to them.

When we talk about the army, we most often focus on tanks, heavy vehicles, and recently also drones. However, very little is said about technologies.

I was just on a panel where a representative of the armed forces was talking about the Russian accents in this war that is being fought now and the potential for a kinetic war. He estimated that the proportions are four to one in favor of new technologies, war in cyberspace and cognitive war, i.e. the war for hearts and minds, the war in the infosphere. This is how much Russians spend on this. I think this is also a clue for our decision-makers as to which direction the emphasis should go. Not only towards the proverbial missiles, artillery or planes – this is also important – but let’s not forget that the hybrid war with Russia that I mentioned is a secret war. This is a war that is ongoing now, not one that will begin some time later.

You mention offensive actions and war with Russia. Should we offensively attack Russia? In the non-kinetic realm, of course?

Yes. I always say that the best saying from football is: the best defense is attack.

But is it ethically and morally good? Because there is also the issue of being the attacking side.

I don’t see any major problems here, so it’s hard to say.

Recently, information appeared that China uses implants because they want to create a super soldier. They want to implant a chip in his brain that would, for example, improve his performance.

Yes, but please remember that such a soldier and such a chip can be easily traced. This is some kind of sensor, so a counterattack is possible, after which these soldiers will stop functioning at all. You have to be careful about this too. You can’t overdo it, because you can get killed by your own weapon.

Do you think it would be acceptable if Poles also used such a solution in the future?

Maybe permissible, but I wouldn’t risk it. Perhaps Polish intelligence could recruit the creator of such a chip and then we would win. In any system, the weakest element will always be a person.

Sticking with chips and future novels: what will the soldier of the future look like?

He will certainly be surrounded by the IT or information sphere, increasing his awareness. It will also be supplemented with unmanned systems, from the nano level, i.e. very low, to a little higher. Regardless of whether they are water, surface, underwater, land or air vehicles. I think it will go in this direction, just like in the direction of certain detection, i.e. the ability to recognize threats beyond the line of sight and beyond the horizon line. Perhaps it will come down to the soldier’s individual equipment.

We cannot escape this, but there is also a danger that the adversary will be able to recognize such systems. Analog systems are unrecognizable, and we are already entering the digital era. This offers great opportunities, but also carries great danger.

Finally: looking at the soldier of the future, will it still be a human or a robot?

When writing our novel “Revolta AI” with Rafał, which ends in 2032, we wondered what solutions would then be available to humans, and therefore also to the broadly understood uniformed services. Among other things, we came up with the idea that there would be app stores where you could rent humanoid companions.

It is possible that this will be the case. Once, my friend Rafał called me and said: “There is a store in Japan. Such a robot costs $16,500.” It’s still quite simple, and the only thing left is the courier shipment to Poland. We are now entering an era in which the soldiers of the future will perhaps have their own companions. I’m not just talking about a dog, a vehicle, a boat or a flying ship. I’m also talking about copies of these soldiers. Perhaps there will be three or four characters that look the same as a given person, which will make it difficult, for example, to eliminate him. You can imagine that it will go in this direction.

I guess there’s no escaping it. It’s a matter of how to tame it and implement it so as not to go in the wrong direction. Attempts will be made and they will probably be more or less effective.

The Chinese are already working on an artificial placenta. If we add the idea of ​​ideal robots with such bearings – I’m talking about robots imitating women – we can imagine the direction in which this is heading.