Artificial Security and the Politics of Hype in the EU

Book excerpt: This book examines how artificial intelligence systems and their applications in security and defence are entangled with governance and policy processes in the EU. Combining concepts and insights from (critical) security studies and science and technology studies, it argues that behind the various AI-related policy initiatives in the EU are particular narratives on security and defence based on European fears of technological innovation and strategic gaps. In this respect, the book casts light on how such beliefs have become increasingly instrumentalized in the European governance dynamics, and subsequently embedded in successive policy initiatives and security and defence research programmes. It challenges conventional understandings of AI technologies as mere security and defence-enabling instruments, by providing a conceptually driven analysis of how certain visions of AI help govern and control one of the most dynamic emergent socio-technical fields. The book will appeal to all those interested in artificial intelligence, security studies, technology and European governance.