WARHEAD

Brains in battle.

Wright, a neuroscientist and adviser to the Pentagon, follows the brain’s functions from the most basic to the most complex, linking them to observed effects in war. Drawing on the Chinese Civil War, both world wars, the war in Ukraine, and the U.S. Capitol insurrection, Wright notes that successful leaders motivated soldiers with ideas of unfairness and justice, or perceived social inequalities, linking these to structures in the brain that generate our beliefs and actions. Surprisingly, World War II studies indicate that soldiers would risk death but few had the will to kill, with only 15% to 20% of men firing their weapons even in intense battles. Evolving technologies—covering armies with sensors, and digital monitoring during soldier training—will target training goals and produce a fire hose of data in the “intelligentized era,” with AI enlisted for analysis. Still, a capacity to manipulate perception will require human interpretation, and Wright argues that a deeper understanding of perception is our best defense. He writes, “Information has gone from the eye, to the telescope, to radar, and now also through AI—but no technology can ever halt the perceptual arms race between militaries.” Wright draws on the research of AI pioneers and former colleagues Geoffrey Hinton and Demis Hassabis, as well as Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, and Carl von Clausewitz, to argue that an understanding of human mental models has been used by leaders throughout history. A military saying, “Capabilities create intentions,” is especially terrifying in an era of AI weapons development. Blurring the lines between strategy and biology is a fascinating approach, and extensive notes give military and civilian readers much to explore.

A gripping look at military strategy and a brave new world of future conflicts.