I’m Sorry, Dave. I’m Afraid I Can’t De-escalate: On (AI) Wargaming and Nuclear War
Recent experiments placing large language models in simulated nuclear crises have produced alarming headlines. “Bloodthirsty” AI systems escalate conflicts, threaten nuclear strikes, and behave erratically under simulated pressure. A recent set of experiments presented in a pre-print paper from Kenneth Payne at King’s College London finds that across 95 percent of simulated games across 21 match-ups between three frontier models, at least one side engaged in nuclear signaling — with subsequent tactical nuclear use occurring in 95 percent of games and strategic nuclear threats in 76 percent. The study’s author describes the results as “sobering” and frames them as a The post I’m Sorry, Dave. I’m Afraid I Can’t De-escalate: On (AI) Wargaming and Nuclear War appeared first on War on the Rocks.