Israeli AI Technology Used to Identify 37,000 Hamas Targets
Israeli intelligence has been utilizing advanced AI technology known as the Lavender system to identify and target thousands of individuals affiliated with Hamas during the recent conflict in Gaza. This AI tool, which focuses on analyzing data collected from millions of Palestinians in the region, assigns each person a ranking based on their likelihood of being associated with the militant group.
Despite claims of human oversight in the targeting process, the +972 magazine report reveals that Israeli officers heavily relied on the Lavender system, spending only seconds on each decision. The AI’s ability to identify possible targets by analyzing characteristics of known Hamas operatives has raised concerns about the potential misidentification of individuals as terrorists.
While the Israeli military has granted permission to use Lavender for targeting purposes, there are questions about the transparency and accuracy of the system. Reports indicate that at least 10 percent of the targets had no apparent ties to Hamas, raising doubts about the effectiveness of the AI technology.
In response to these allegations, the IDF has refuted claims of using AI to predict terrorist affiliations, stating that their information systems are tools for analysts in the target identification process. The IDF emphasizes that military target identification involves various tools and intelligence sources to gather relevant information.
The use of AI-powered databases in the Gaza conflict has drawn criticism from international leaders, with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and China denouncing the bombings as a violation of human rights. The global community is calling for an end to the violence in Gaza and a reevaluation of the methods used in targeting individuals during the conflict.
