The New York Times revealed that Israel used an advanced tool that works artificial intelligence to eavesdrop on the phone calls of Hamas, in a military technological precedent of its kind on the battlefield.
Ancient technology renewed with artificial intelligence
According to the newspaper, the tool was developed more than a decade, but it was only used in combat operations. After it was not possible to find one of the prominent leaders in Hamas, the Israeli 8200 unit, known as the cyber arm of the Israeli army, resorted to integrating artificial intelligence with the tool in order to determine the source of the communications.
Artificial intelligence determines the site by sound
The new tool worked on eavesdropping on phone calls and monitoring the approximate site of the speaker, which enabled Israel to track and analyze the place of the launch of the communications. This technology enabled the army to define sensitive underground targets in Gaza, which was a major challenge for traditional intelligence services.
A fatal and controversial attack on artificial intelligence in the war
On October 31, 2023, this analysis was used to carry out air strikes on an area believed to be the source of communications, killing the target leader, but also the fall of more than 125 civilians, according to the British “AirWars” organization. This incident has sparked widespread controversy on the ethics of the use of artificial intelligence in military operations, especially in crowded civil environments such as Gaza.
