It's all Lavender in Gaza
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2248254 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hugh Gusterson (0000-0003-3494-6454, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1-2 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Anthropology Today (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0268-540X • E-ISSN: 1467-8322 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-8322.12923 |
| OpenAlex | W4404972435 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 5 |
This guest editorial examines Israel's deployment of the AI program Lavender in Gaza as a significant shift in counterinsurgency warfare, moving from traditional hearts-and-minds campaigns to algorithmic targeting. Drawing on investigative reporting and anthropological perspectives on algorithms, it analyses how Lavender transforms warfare through four critical stages: problematic initial parameters, systematic matching errors, declining human oversight, and erosion of moral responsibility. While the system presents a veneer of precision targeting, its flexible thresholds and high acceptable civilian casualty ratios enable mass civilian casualties while providing bureaucratic legitimacy. The analysis suggests this fusion of AI and killing represents a concerning precedent that could proliferate to other conflicts unless decisively addressed
Ancient history · Biology · Botany · Lavender · History · Human-Automation Interaction and Safety · Military Strategy and Technology
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |