US Vice President JD Vance on 29 May 2025 delivered a pointed warning about the risks of ceding battlefield decision-making to artificial intelligence, telling graduating officers at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that decisions over life and death must remain in human hands — not machines. The address to the Class of 2026 came as militaries worldwide are rapidly integrating AI into targeting, surveillance, and battlefield decision-support systems.

The Core Warning

Vance was direct about his primary concern. 'The thing I worry about most with AI is how it will change warfare,' he told the assembled cadets. He argued that while AI would inevitably become a larger part of military operations, technology must support — not supplant — human judgment.

'If the warfare of the future is to live up to the moral values of our ancestors, decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines,' he said. He urged the new officers to remain 'jealous and selfish' about their responsibilities as military leaders, adding: 'Use technology to make you better, but never submit to it.'

A Moral, Not Just Technological, Challenge

Vance framed the issue in explicitly ethical terms, invoking a recent document by Pope Leo XIV, who reportedly encouraged people not to outsource their most important moral decisions to digital technology. The Vice President said the challenge facing the new generation of officers was fundamentally one of conscience, not capability.

'You are the masters of warfare and both your minds, but also your hearts are the opposite of artificial,' he told the graduating class. This is notably one of the most senior US officials to publicly anchor AI-in-warfare concerns in moral philosophy rather than operational risk alone.

Geopolitical Stakes and Adversary Awareness

Vance warned the graduating officers that they were entering service during a period of acute geopolitical uncertainty and rapidly evolving military technology. 'You are graduating into one of those eras where that reality, that unpredictability of warfare, is becoming impossible to ignore,' he said.

He cautioned that adversaries were closely monitoring the United States — its military doctrine, industrial capacity, political divisions, and even the officers themselves. 'Our adversaries are studying this country every day… and new graduates they are studying you,' he said. The remarks reflect a broader US concern about strategic competition, particularly with China and Russia, both of which are investing heavily in autonomous and AI-driven military systems.

Modernisation Programmes and Military Investment

The Vice President also highlighted ongoing US military modernisation efforts, citing the F-47 next-generation fighter aircraft and the Golden Dome missile defence initiative as examples of the administration's commitment to maintaining technological superiority. He praised American airmen and Space Force guardians, arguing that US military power continued to redefine what was operationally possible.

'When the President needs options, it's our Air Force and our Space Force who provide them, redefining what is possible mission after mission through sheer human daring,' he said.

Broader Context

The speech arrives at a critical inflection point in global defence policy. Autonomous weapons and AI-assisted targeting have moved from theoretical debate to active deployment in multiple conflict theatres. International discussions on 'lethal autonomous weapons systems' (LAWS) remain unresolved at the United Nations level, with no binding treaty in place. Vance's remarks signal that the US, while investing heavily in AI-enabled defence, intends to keep human accountability at the centre of its military doctrine — at least in public posture. Whether that principle holds under battlefield pressure remains an open question.