General Brags That US Military AI Will Be Better Because of “Judeo-Christian” Values

"No military actions motivated by Christian values [have] ever ended poorly."

Church and State

A decorated Air Force general is getting some heat after saying that any artificial intelligence employed by the United States' military will be better because of our country's so-called "Judeo-Christian" values.

As The Washington Post notes, Lt. Gen. Richard G. Moore was speaking last week at an event held by the conservative Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, DC when he made the incendiary — and, let's be honest, ignorant and dog whistly — remarks in reference to the Pentagon's AI endeavors.

"Regardless of what your beliefs are, our society is a Judeo-Christian society, and we have a moral compass," Moore told the assembled crowd. "Not everybody does."

Moore went on, without a hint of irony or any direct reference to specific countries or groups, to note that "there are those that are willing to go for the ends regardless of what means have to be employed," and added that the future of AI weapons will depend on "who plays by the rules of warfare and who doesn’t."

"There are societies that have a very different foundation than ours," he added.

Holy Missile

While these vague statements could be considered ironic in a number of ways — there is, for instance, currently a blockbuster hit in theaters that looks at the man behind the A-bomb that our country dropped on Japan in 1945 — it also has drawn justified criticism from political players for its Christian nationalist undertones.

"Well this is comforting," striking TV writer John Rogers wrote in a tweet dripping with sarcasm. "No military actions motivated by Christian values [have] ever ended poorly."

"Y'all... no," AI researcher Damien Williams tweeted. "The Western/Christian underpinnings of 'AI' are part of the WORST PROBLEMS IT EMBODIES."

As WaPo notes, Moore seems to be referencing China, the United States' ultimate tech adversary, with his oblique AI warfare comments. And while that country does indeed have its own AI schemes, there's little to indicate that the CCP's current or planned capabilities are all that different — or worse — than America's.

Based purely on track records, the US has proven many times over that it's willing to deploy unspeakably evil technologies to win wars — and that alone should bring shame to those who think like this general.

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