Introduction

Launched on 11 September 2023, the Disruption Network Institute and its fellows have been investigating the use of AI in the field of networked warfare and the social and ethical implications of machine learning and algorithms in the development of tactics of control, data tracking and surveillance. The 2023-2024 fellowship round, “Investigating the Kill Cloud: Information Warfare, Autonomous Weapons & AI” which resulted in the publication of four research papers by Lisa Ling, Jack Poulson, Joana Moll and Naomi Colvin, contributed to the debate on the use of autonomous weapons and AI following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the current war in Gaza. By directly involving whistleblowers, artists, investigative journalists and advocates with knowledge of AI and warfare, we added a unique perspective to the ongoing debate.

The first fellowship round led to a three-day event with the participation of researchers in the field of AI and warfare, who engaged in panels and a roundtable in cooperation with the BMBF project ‘Swarm Technologies. Control and Autonomy in Complex Weapons Systems’, Paderborn University (Germany) – part of the research network ‘Meaningful Human Control: Autonomous Weapons Systems between Regulation and Reflection (MeHuCo) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 

Concept 2025–2026: Investigating the Kill Cloud: AI, Big Tech and Migration Control

On 11 September 2025, the Disruption Network Institute is launching the second round of fellowships, which will focus on technological control and repression in war zones, border regions, and urban environments. Here, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in automated target recognition is optimised to monitor and control civilians, turning them into targets for migration, warfare, business, and advertising. Special attention will be paid to the testing of military technologies on migrants and communities with restricted civil rights. Three researchers — a whistleblower, Cian Westmoreland; an investigative journalist, Namir Shabibi; and an artist, Tiara Roxanne — will investigate the use of AI, cloud infrastructure and predictive analytics in targeting tools in war zones and areas of conflict, and in the surveillance of migrants and marginalised communities.

Our group of fellows and associated experts, seek to find answers to problems related to injustice at a time of severe polarisation, to cut through some of the “blurring” and help foster greater public engagement and knowledge on these issues. We aim at providing some understanding into ethical problems with the current use of AI and satellite technology, such as their enabling of arbitrary targeted killing via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We work to ensure that technology benefits people and our society, rather than being used in contexts ranging from the killing of civilians in war zones to the surveillance of migrants and marginalised communities in general.

The fellowships begin in September 2025 and will run until June 2026. In November 2026, the results of the investigations and research will be presented at our international conference in Berlin, as we did in 2024. Finally, we plan a second international roundtable to bring together speakers and experts in the field of information technology, AI and warfare to contribute specifically to the debate on how Big Tech is fuelling data-centric warfare and how this impacts civil society.

Objectives

The second round of fellowships examines modern warfare and the impact that artificial intelligence could have both inside and outside declared war zones. We develop in-depth knowledge of the risks associated with the introduction of technologies such as artificial intelligence, automated target recognition and social network manipulation into the modern battlefield and at borders (which are used as testing grounds for surveillance, facial recognition and targeting).

Artificial intelligence is actively reshaping how conflicts are managed and how human rights violations are documented. Wars are increasingly used as testing grounds for new lethal autonomous weapons, advanced recognition systems, biometric surveillance, and AI-driven programs to identify targets. Simultaneously, surveillance tools such as cameras, drones, biometrics, and motion sensors are being deployed to expand AI-powered surveillance and data collection, particularly in areas like migration management, asylum procedures, and border control.

To gain a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding AI data work, we aim to explore the role of data capitalism, technological warfare, and surveillance technologies that promote a worldview grounded in the exploitation of vulnerable populations, often at the expense of minorities.

Despite a few courageous reports, there has been insufficient public discussion on the intersection of AI, warfare, and migration management. As we have already demonstrated for our 2023-2024 fellowships, the interdisciplinary nature of our work was able to analyse the issue of AI and warfare, highlighting the complexity of global data-driven warfare. By combining the work of a whistleblower, an investigative journalist and an artist, we will be able to reach a wide audience and extend the findings to directly engage members of affected communities. The aim is to understand how these technologies are implemented and adopted at global and European levels, and their impact on communities in conflict zones, with a particular focus on ongoing wars and civil rights movements.

See the results of our fellowships 2023–2024 (published November 2024)