VIRTUAL: An Evening with defense expert Paul Scharre, Author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Join the Hudson Library & Historical Society on Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m. for a livestreaming event with autonomous weapons expert Paul Scharre, who will discuss his new book, Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Four Battlegrounds takes readers inside the fierce competition to develop and implement this game-changing technology and dominate the future.

A new industrial revolution has begun. Like mechanization or electricity before it, artificial intelligence will touch every aspect of our lives—and cause profound disruptions in the balance of global power, especially among the AI superpowers: China, the United States, and Europe. Scharre argues that four key elements define this struggle: data, computing power, talent, and institutions. Data is a vital resource like coal or oil, but it must be collected and refined. Advanced computer chips are the essence of computing power—control over chip supply chains grants leverage over rivals. Talent is about people: which country attracts the best researchers and most advanced technology companies? The fourth “battlefield” is maybe the most critical: the ultimate global leader in AI will have institutions that effectively incorporate AI into their economy, society, and especially their military. Four Battlegrounds offers a vivid picture of how AI is transforming warfare, global security, and the future of human freedom—and what it will take for democracies to remain at the forefront of the world order.

Paul Scharre is a former U.S. Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the author of the award-winning study of autonomous weapons, Army of None, and is currently vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security.

Registration for this program is required and a valid email address is required at the time of registration. Participants will receive an email invitation to attend the program, hosted on Zoom, a day before the program begins.