AI as Abnormal Technology? Scott Sullivan Analyzes AI in the Military Domain
From Scaling Laws by Lawfare & University of Texas Law School
April 21, 2026 · 45 min
About this episode
Scott Sullivan discusses the implications of AI as an abnormal technology in military contexts.
Scott Sullivan, professor of law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a leading contributor to the Manual on International Law Applicable to Artificial Intelligence in Warfare , joins Kevin Frazier, AI Innovation and Law Fellow at the University of Texas School of Law and a Senior Editor at Lawfare, to examine whether AI should be understood as a “normal” or “abnormal” technology. Drawing on his recent article , Sullivan argues that while AI may diffuse slowly and unevenly in civilian contexts, military AI operates under fundamentally different conditions—where strategic competition rewards speed, costs are often externalized, and meaningful oversight is limited by secrecy and epistemic uncertainty. The conversation explores how these dynamics challenge prevailing AI governance frameworks, what current military deployments reveal about the trajectory of AI adoption, and whether existing legal and policy tools are equipped to manage a domain where the pace of technological integration may outstrip the institutions designed to constrain it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Kevin Frazier
Guest: Scott Sullivan
Topics covered
- AI in military
- technology governance
- international law
- strategic competition
- military AI
- oversight challenges
Keywords
- AI
- military technology
- governance
- international law
- strategic competition
- oversight
- technology integration
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: U.S. Military Academy at West Point, University of Texas School of Law, Lawfare
Books & works: Manual on International Law Applicable to Artificial Intelligence in Warfare
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