Will DIANA—NATO’s DARPA-style innovation hub—improve or degrade global stability?
NATO unveiled its Defence Innovator Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict; and shortly after its release, some were quick to draw comparisons to the United States’ DARPA program. DIANA’s main goal, like DARPA’s, is to support the development of emerging technology with global security uses, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, and hypersonic weapons systems.
However, some experts worry that, ‘the effort itself—if not conducted responsibly—may negatively impact international stability and human security.’ A recent study forecasted that the future impact of some new emerging technologies would be overwhelmingly negative. As innovation continues, not losing sight of the moral and strategic dimensions of the issue will be paramount to guaranteeing global security.