Implications of AI in National Security: Understanding the Security Issues and Ethical Challenges

National security is the security and defence of a country. In the UK, national security provides coordination on security and intelligence issues of strategic importance across a government [25]. In the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, many countries including the UK have adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) to achieve optimal national security for its citizens, economy, and institutions. In fact, AI, with its evolving intelligent behaviours, has become a major priority for defense for many governments. AI has the potential to support a number of domestic and international security initiatives, from online security to counter-terrorism. It also has the potential to change everything about the way government offices relate to each other and the rest of the world, how they work and ultimately get on together. Therefore, the more pressing question centres around how AI will shape national security? AI encompasses a series of complex issues that cut across security and ethical boundaries. This book chapter will discuss these themes in relation to national security. In detail, it will examine the security issues and ethical challenges of AI for the operational and strategic levels of national Security.