The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) of Israel that carried out the recent operation 'Guardian of the Walls' said that it relied heavily on machine learning and data gathering for the past two weeks. 

“For the first time, artificial intelligence was a key component and power multiplier in fighting the enemy. This is a first-of-its-kind campaign for the IDF. We implemented new methods of operation and used technological developments that were a force multiplier for the entire IDF,” an IDF Intelligence Corps senior officer was quoted by Jerusalem Post as saying.

During the two-week war between the IDF and the Hamas, IDF carried out focused air strikes on the rivals, established deep within Gaza, killing at least 100 of their top operatives. The infrastructure built in the Gaza strip, by the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, was destroyed by Israeli jets. 

The military intelligence reports were gathered by the Israeli military by adapting readily available Artificial Intelligence technologies. However, an advanced AI technological platform that centralizes all data on the militant groups in the Gaza strip on one system to help with the analysis and extract intelligence crucial for the operations, the Israeli website adds. 

Since Israel is situated in a geopolitically volatile area, Israel has prioritised knowledge-building on machine learning and algorithm-driven warfare and has invested in AI and its applications in the military, for years now. 

The AI has been fed with sufficient raw data related to warfare and intelligence related to the conflict. Therefore, the IDF used resources such as signal intelligence (SIGINT), visual intelligence (VISINT), human intelligence (HUMINT), geographical intelligence (GEOINT); fed data collected through satellites, aerial reconnaissance vehicles, field agents, ground intel and years of information. 

According to the report by JP, it was IDF’s elite intelligence officers in Unit 8200, who pioneered algorithms and code to create advanced programs named “Alchemist,” “Gospel” and “Depth of Wisdom,” which were developed and used during the fighting.

The 'Gospel' helped the IDF's military intelligence unit to enhance the intelligence recommendations for the officers and helped them identify 'quality targets' which were then passed to the air force to undertake the strikes. 

Other ways that the unit uses AI is through using AI algorithms to predict enemy rocket launches, place, and time, helping soldiers on the ground to effectively defend against them. For example, the Israeli Army's J6/C4i Directorate’s Lotem Unit specifically creates software for AI and uses machine learning for real-life applications. 

A part of this technology has been deployed in Israel's Iron Dome. The Lotem Unit created an app that helped the soldiers predict rocket launch locations, time of launch and the target for such missiles by studying the data from field sensors, etc. Another app that the Lotem unit created was used to identify suspicious objects from videos and write down the description in writing which helps save manpower.

To combat the latest war, IDF set up a multi-disciplinary centre to help produce relevant targets which aided the military in effective planning and targeting. According to JP, “the military believes using AI helped shorten the length of the fighting, having been effective and quick in gathering targets using super-cognition.”

Artificial intelligence is believed to have been used in many attacks in the past, but this is the most comprehensive demonstration of its ability to change the course of a battle.

Although a ceasefire has restored some calm to the fighting between IDF and Palestinian militant groups, experts believe that this may not last long.