Lavender: The AI directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza

Investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call reveals the Israeli army’s AI targeting system with little human oversight.

In 2021, a book titled “The Human-Machine Team” was released, discussing an AI system for military strikes. This system, known as ‘Lavender’, is revealed to have played a central role in Israel’s bombing of Palestinians.

The Lavender System

Lavender marks all suspected operatives in the military wings of Hamas and PIJ as potential bombing targets. During the first weeks of the war, it marked as many as 37,000 Palestinians as suspected militants.

Human Oversight

The army gave sweeping approval for officers to adopt Lavender’s kill lists without thoroughly checking the machine’s choices, leading to significant civilian casualties.

The Gospel vs. Lavender

While The Gospel marks buildings as targets, Lavender marks individuals, putting them on a kill list.

Civilian Casualties

Thousands of Palestinians were wiped out by Israeli airstrikes due to the AI program’s decisions, many of them women and children.

Conclusion

Lavender joins another AI system, ‘The Gospel’, in the Israeli military’s use of technology for targeting. The lack of human oversight has led to devastating consequences for civilians in Gaza.