Dual-Use Technology

A Dual-Use Technology is a technology that can be used for both civilian applications and military applications.

• Context:
  • It can present a Dual-Use Dilemma.
  • It can range from being a Transformative Dual-Use Technology to being a Non-Transformative Dual-Use Technology, depending on whather it is a transformative technology.
  • It can raise significant Ethical Considerations and National Security Concerns.
  • It can be subjected to Export Controls and International Treaties (such as a Chemical Weapons Convention).
  • …
• Example(s):
  • Global Positioning System (GPS), used for navigation in civilian applications and targeting in military.
  • Ammonia, which can be used both in agricultural fertilizers and in chemical weapons creation.
  • Nuclear Technology, which can be employed for both energy generation and nuclear weapons.
  • Large Language Models, which can be employed for democratizing research and for misinformation.
  • Drones, used for aerial photography and surveillance in civilian applications, and for reconnaissance and targeted attacks in military contexts.
  • …
  • Disruptive Dual-Use Technology:
    • Quantum Computing, poised to revolutionize encryption methods, affecting both data privacy in civilian applications and cryptography in military intelligence.
    • CRISPR Gene Editing, which can be used for medical advancements as well as potential biological warfare.
    • Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which would have a wide range of civilian applications, such as medical diagnostics and autonomous vehicles, as well as military applications, like autonomous warfare and strategic planning.
    • …
  • Non-Disruptive Dual-Use Technology:
    • Radios, used for communication in both civilian and military contexts but not fundamentally disruptive to either.
    • Aluminum, used in various structures in both civilian and military contexts without being considered disruptive.
    • Rope and Cabling, essential in both civilian activities like climbing or shipping and military uses like rigging or towing, but not transformative to either domain.
    • …
  • Global Positioning System.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Single-Use Technology, such as a specialized military drone designed solely for aerial strikes.
  • Insulin, which is primarily used for treating diabetes and has no significant military applications.
  • Traffic Lights, which serve a civilian function in traffic regulation and are not used in military contexts.
• See: Military, Treaty on The Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Strategic Emerging Technology.

---

---

References

2023

• (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dual-use_technology Retrieved:2023-6-14.
  • In politics, diplomacy and export control, dual-use items refers to goods, software and technology that can be used for both civilian and military applications.

    More generally speaking, dual-use can also refer to any goods or technology which can satisfy more than one goal at any given time. Thus, expensive technologies that would otherwise benefit only civilian commercial interests can also be used to serve military purposes if they are not otherwise engaged, such as the Global Positioning System.

    The "dual-use dilemma" was first noted with the discovery of the process for synthesizing and mass-producing ammonia which revolutionized agriculture with modern fertilizers but also led to the creation of chemical weapons during World War I. The dilemma has long been known in chemistry and physics, and has led to international conventions and treaties, including the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

2023

• (Soice et al., 2023) ⇒ Emily H. Soice, Rafael Rocha, Kimberlee Cordova, Michael Specter, and Kevin M. Esvelt. (2023). “Can Large Language Models Democratize Access to Dual-use Biotechnology?. ” arXiv preprint arXiv:2306.03809
  • ABSTRACT: Large language models (LLMs) such as those embedded in 'chatbots' are accelerating and democratizing research by providing comprehensible information and expertise from many different fields. However, these models may also confer easy access to dual-use technologies capable of inflicting great harm. To evaluate this risk, the 'Safeguarding the Future' course at MIT tasked non-scientist students with investigating whether LLM chatbots could be prompted to assist non-experts in causing a pandemic. In one hour, the chatbots suggested four potential pandemic pathogens, explained how they can be generated from synthetic DNA using reverse genetics, supplied the names of DNA synthesis companies unlikely to screen orders, identified detailed protocols and how to troubleshoot them, and recommended that anyone lacking the skills to perform reverse genetics engage a core facility or contract research organization. Collectively, these results suggest that LLMs will make pandemic-class agents widely accessible as soon as they are credibly identified, even to people with little or no laboratory training. Promising nonproliferation measures include pre-release evaluations of LLMs by third parties, curating training datasets to remove harmful concepts, and verifiably screening all DNA generated by synthesis providers or used by contract research organizations and robotic cloud laboratories to engineer organisms or viruses.

2018

• (Acosta et al., 2018) ⇒ M Acosta, D Coronado, and E Ferrandiz. (2018). “Patents and Dual-Use Technology: An Empirical Study of the World's Largest Defence Companies.” In: Defence and Peace Economics.
  • QUOTE: “… of dual-use technology and we review the factors affecting the firms’ involvement in this type of technology. … Firstly, we review the concept of dual-use technology, and highlight the main …”
  • NOTE: It reviews factors affecting firms' involvement in dual-use technology and provides an overview of its concept.

2010

• (Forge, 2010) ⇒ J Forge. (2010). “A Note on the Definition of ‘Dual Use’.” In: Science and Engineering Ethics.
  • QUOTE: “… dual use research and dual use technology. Thus, if a given research project R gives rise to a dual use technology T, then evidently R was dual use … be dual use even if no technology …”
  • NOTE: It contributes to the ongoing debate on the definition of dual-use by considering three distinct categories: dual-use research, dual-use technologies, and dual-use artefacts. It emphasizes the importance of contextual factors in assessing what qualifies as dual use, proposing a provisional definition that includes considerations of threats and risks.
  • ABSTRACT: While there has been much interest in this topic, no generally accepted definition of dual use has been forthcoming. As a contribution to this issue, it is maintained that three related kinds of things comprise the category of dual use: research, technologies and artefacts. In regard to all three kinds, difficulties are identified in making clear distinctions between those that are and are not dual use. It is suggested that our classification should take account of actual capacities and willingness to make use of these objects for ‘bad ends’ and not the mere possibility that this could be done, and here three ‘contextual factors’ are identified. A (provisional) definition is proposed that takes account of threats and risks.

2010

• (Pustovit & Williams, 2010) ⇒ SV Pustovit, and ED Williams. (2010). “Philosophical Aspects of Dual Use Technologies.” In: Science and Engineering Ethics.
  • QUOTE: “… specific guidance and policy for dual use technologies. A metaphysical approach exhorts us … relations when considering dual use technology. Use of science and technology (S and T) …”
  • NOTE: It delves into the philosophical and ethical aspects of dual-use technologies, providing specific guidance and policy insights.

1997

• (Molas-Gallart, 1997) ⇒ J Molas-Gallart. (1997). “Which Way to Go? Defence Technology and the Diversity of 'Dual-Use' Technology Transfer.” In: Research Policy.
  • QUOTE: “… By suggesting a typology of dual-use technology transfer mechanisms this paper provides a … of different dual-use policies. It identifies four main types of dual-use technology transfer …”

---