Europe needs Cold War-like deterrence for AI warfare, Poland says

Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski has called for Europe to adopt a Cold War-era strategy of mutually assured destruction to counter the growing threat of AI-powered warfare. Gawkowski, who heads Poland's Ministry for Digital Affairs, warned that cyberattacks in his country will increase tenfold by 2027 as large language models become more advanced and widely accessible.

He argued that the threat posed by AI is not limited to cybercriminals, but also extends to state-level adversaries like Russia and Belarus. Gawkowski insisted that these cyberattacks should be treated as acts of war, not merely hybrid warfare, and urged European nations to revise their security strategies and resources accordingly.

Gawkowski drew a parallel between physical attacks on critical infrastructure, such as power plants, supermarkets, and hospitals, and the digital attacks now being carried out against these facilities. He emphasized that these digital bombs are not coincidental, but rather a deliberate and escalating threat.

He warned that if Europe fails to acknowledge and respond to this AI threat, it risks being paralyzed by the potential destruction caused by such attacks. Gawkowski called for a clear signal of intent to retaliate against attackers, lest Europe be left defenseless in the face of this new form of warfare.