Hegseth pressed on use of AI targeting in bombing of Iran school

A group of more than 120 Democrats in theUS Houseon Thursday pressedPentagonSecretary Pete Hegseth on whether American forces usedartificial intelligencein the deadly bombing of an elementary school in southern Iran.

“What is the role of artificial intelligence, if any, in selecting targets, assessing intelligence, and making legal determinations during Operation Epic Fury?” the Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), asked in aletterto Hegseth. “If AI is used, is it subject to human review and at what point? Was artificial intelligence, including the use of theMaven Smart System, used to identify the Shajareh Tayyebeh school as a target? If so, did a human verify the accuracy of this target?”

The letter to Hegseth was sent a day after TheNew York Timesreported that Pentagon investigatorspreliminarily concludedthat US forces were responsible for the bombing of the girls’ school in Minab, Iran—a strike that killed at least 175 people, mostlychildren.

The Democratic lawmakers cited the Times’ reporting in their letter, writing that they “are particularly disturbed” by the school bombing, which PresidentDonald Trumpinitially – and without evidence – tried to pin on Iranbefore later saying he didn’t “know enough about it” to assign blame.

According to the Times, the school strike “was the result of a targeting mistake by theUS military, which was conducting strikes onan adjacent Iranian baseof which the school building was formerly a part.”

TheUS militaryhas confirmed using AI tools in its illegal war on Iran, which is being carried out in partnership with Israeli forces that have used artificial intelligenceextensivelyin their assault on theGazaStrip.

“Our war fighters are leveraging a variety of advanced AI tools,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the US Central Command, said in avideo messagereleased Wednesday. “These systems help us sift through vast amounts of data in seconds so our leaders can cut through the noise and make smarter decisions faster than the enemy can react.”

NBC Newsreportedearlier this week that the US military is “using AI systems from data analytics company Palantir to identify potential targets in the ongoing attacks.”

“The use of Palantir’s software, which relies in part on Anthropic’s Claude AI systems, comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethaims to put artificial intelligence at the heartof America’s combat operations,” the outlet noted.

During his tenure as head of the Pentagon, Hegseth has worked todismantleinitiatives aimed at reducing civilian killings,scoffedat “stupid rulesof engagement,”andtouted“maximum lethality” as a top priority for the US military.

In their letter on Thursday, theHouse Democratswrote that mass civilian deaths in the US-Israeli war on Iran are “alarming yet unsurprising” given Hegseth and Trump’s open disdain for legal constraints on American forces.

“The US and Israel have reportedly struck or impacted numerous civilian sites—including schools, hospitals, gymnasiums, public gathering spaces, and a UNESCO heritage site,” the lawmakers wrote. “Civilians and civilianinfrastructuremay under no circumstances be the object of attack and must at all times be respected and protected by all parties.”

Originally published by Common Dreams, this article is republished under Creative Commons license.