John Kirby, the spokesperson for national security at the White House, stated in an interview with CNN on Thursday that the United States is reviewing a media report indicating that the Israeli military is using artificial intelligence to assist in identifying targets it bombs in Gaza. Kirby explained in the interview that the United States has not verified the contents of the report published on the websites "+972 Magazine" and "Local Call" on Wednesday, which claimed that Israeli intelligence officials are using a program known as "Lavender."
The media report stated that the Israeli military classified tens of thousands of Gaza residents as suspects using the artificial intelligence system, with little human review involved. The Israeli army denied using artificial intelligence to identify wanted individuals or suspected targets. In a statement, the Israeli military said: "The army does not use any artificial intelligence system to identify terrorist activists or to try to predict whether a person is a terrorist or not. Information systems are merely tools for analysts in the targeting process."
The statement added that army guidelines require analysts to conduct independent audits to ensure that identified targets meet relevant criteria in accordance with international law and Israeli guidelines. Separately, Kirby was also asked in the interview about an Axios report stating that the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the opening of the Erez crossing with Gaza to allow more humanitarian aid to enter. Kirby responded that if the report is accurate, this news would be welcomed and "certainly aligns" with what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden in their phone call on Thursday.
Biden's Threats
The White House stated that Biden threatened in the call to tie support for the Israeli assault on Gaza to concrete steps taken to protect relief staff and civilians.
