Hiroshi Mukaide（向出博）Time Traveler

A FUTURE OF "FAREWELL TO ARMS" WITH VIRTUAL WARS MAY NOT BE JUST A DREAM

#武器よさらば

#バーチャル戦争

#AI

#IT

#戦争放棄

#みんなのブログ

政治・経済・ビジネス

2024-05-31

If the United Nations built a Colosseum and world leaders dueled instead of waging wars, perhaps wars would cease to exist. No, with the power of AI and IT, even wars could become virtual.

A future of "Farewell to Arms" with virtual wars may not be just a dream.

Despite the progress of science and technology and the fact that we are much wealthier than in the past, wars persist in this world.

Even though there is no need for people to kill each other anymore, could it be that the powerful, whose safety is guaranteed, see war as nothing more than a game?

This made me think: the best solution would be for the powerful to duel each other.

If the United Nations built a Colosseum and world leaders dueled instead of going to war, it would surely eliminate wars.

If we can't stop wars, we must think of alternative methods.

In an era where everything is becoming virtual thanks to AI and IT, wars should be virtualized too.

An era where conflicts are resolved through "virtual wars" instead of real ones.

Seeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Israel's incursion into Gaza, and the tensions between the U.S., China, and Russia, I can't help but hope for such a future.

Many may think this is impossible.

However, if we look around, we see things that no one could have imagined 100 years ago.

Virtual wars might be possible too.

But if we lose a virtual war and Japan ceases to exist, falling under another country's control, could we accept that reality?

Virtual wars might seem like mere fantasy. Indeed, with our current sensibilities, it seems impossible.

However, human sensibilities change greatly with time.

For future humans in an era of virtual wars, this might be perfectly normal.

In any case, it would be wonderful if we could resolve international conflicts without harming anyone or destroying anything.

A program that neutralizes all weapons.

Shutting down AI and IT controlling weapons with laser beams or electromagnetic pulses.

Before talking about virtual wars, we should first hope for technological innovations that make wars impossible.

However, even in such a future, analog weapons like guns, cannons, and bombs, which are unaffected by AI or IT, could still be used.

Humans have always turned anything into weapons.

But such weapons might be relics of the past, only useful for police activities and maintaining public order, and hopefully powerless in future inter-state wars.

So, what would a future where war is impossible look like?

Amazingly, it is already written in Article 9, Clause 1 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces war.

"The Japanese people sincerely seek international peace based on justice and order, and forever renounce war as a means of settling international disputes, as well as the use of force to settle such disputes."

It's a utopian world.

However, just because war is impossible doesn't mean international disputes will disappear.

If we read Clause 1 carefully, it presumes "international disputes will never go away" and merely states, "we will renounce war as a means of resolving disputes."

Throughout history, the powerful have always loved war as a means of resolving disputes.

What such war-loving powers need is "virtual war" that doesn't kill anyone or destroy anything.

Probably, Americans, who are good at creating rules and standards, will brainstorm the concept and system of this new conflict resolution method called "virtual war."

All that remains is for the Chinese and Russians to accept this new concept willingly, and everything will be set.

But then again, if this only eliminates war, nothing has fundamentally changed.

However, if this allows us to resolve international disputes without hurting anyone or destroying anything, it would be a cause for celebration.

Instead of fearing the evolution of IT and AI, why not occasionally imagine an era of "virtual wars"?

But as I wrote this, I realized: biological and chemical weapons, like the now-calm COVID-19 pandemic, cannot be neutralized.

It's too sad to think that "virtual wars" are impossible after all.