The concept of smartwar: A theoretical framework

Year 2024, Issue: 13, 35 - 57, 30.06.2024

Orkun Öz , Aslıhan Ünal

Abstract

With the exponential developments in information technologies “Smart” as a one-size-fits-all has bocome a popular term nowadays in literature and media. Smartphones, smart watches, smart devices, smart technology, smart weapons, and smart war… Besides, these developments have given rise to the debate as “Has the concept of war been changed?”, “What does smart war mean to humanity?”, “What are the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence-based technology in warfare”, “What is the type of war humankind experiences today?”, “Has the dynamics of war changed?”, etc. Hence, the advances in technology have started to influence the nature of war. Although the term “smart war” become popular, it is realized that a few studies have been conducted on this concept. There are many studies on artificial intelligence in warfare, electronic warfare, autonomous weapon systems, drones, smart weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), robot soldiers, etc. but a gap in the literature is the lack of a comprehensive work that examines the similarities of the conflicts in terms of strategies, weapons, and actors in the age of IT. This study is conducted to fill this gap in the literature. The purpose of this study is to examine modern conflicts that arise with the exponential developments in IT and put forward a theoretical framework that explains the smart war concept. For this purpose, the answer to the research question “How can the smart war concept be defined?” was examined by adopting an exploratory approach and following grounded theory methodology. As a result, a theoretical framework that explains the smart war concept in four dimensions -antecedents, actors, technologies, and strategies introduced. Further, the framework was evaluated through real-world cases of conflict.

Keywords

smart war, information technology, artificial intelligence, modern war, grounded theory

Akıllı savaş kavramı: Teorik bir çerçeve

Abstract

Bilgi teknolojilerinde yaşanan üstel gelişmelerle birlikte "akıllı" kelimesi günümüzde literatürde ve medyada popüler bir terim haline gelmiştir. Akıllı telefonlar, akıllı saatler, akıllı cihazlar, akıllı teknoloji, akıllı silahlar ve akıllı savaş... Ayrıca bu gelişmeler "Savaş kavramı değişti mi?", "Akıllı savaş insanlık için ne anlama geliyor?", "Savaşta yapay zeka temelli teknolojinin faydaları ve riskleri nelerdir?", "İnsanlığın bugün deneyimlediği savaş türü nedir?", "Savaşın dinamikleri değişti mi?" gibi tartışmalara da yol açmıştır.Dolayısıyla, teknolojideki ilerlemeler savaşın doğasını da etkilemeye başlamıştır. "Akıllı savaş" terimi popüler hale gelse de bu kavram üzerine çok az çalışma yapıldığı görülmektedir. Savaşta yapay zeka, elektronik savaş, otonom silah sistemleri, insansız hava araçları (İHA), akıllı silahlar, robot askerler vb. konularda pek çok çalışma bulunmakla birlikte, bilişim çağında çatışmaların strateji, silah ve aktörler açısından benzerliklerini inceleyen kapsamlı bir çalışmanın bulunmaması literatürde bir boşluk olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışma, literatürdeki bu boşluğu doldurmak için yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, bilişim teknolojilerindeki üstel gelişmelerle birlikte ortaya çıkan modern çatışmaları incelemek ve akıllı savaş kavramını açıklayan teorik bir çerçeve ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaçla, "Akıllı savaş kavramı nasıl tanımlanabilir?" araştırma sorusunun cevabı keşifsel bir yaklaşım benimsenerek ve gömülü teori metodolojisi izlenerek incelenmiştir. Sonuç olarak akıllı savaş konseptini dört boyutta açıklayan teorik bir çerçeve ortaya konulmuştur: Öncüller, aktörler, teknolojiler ve stratejiler. Ayrıca, geliştirilen çerçeve, gerçek dünyadaki çatışma vakaları üzerinden değerlendirilmiştir.

Keywords

akıllı savaş, bilişim teknolojisi, yapay zeka, modern savaş, gömülü teori

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