A Call to Arms: AI Should be Critical for Social Media Analysis of
  Conflict Zones
Afia Abedin Abdul Bais Cody Buntain Laura Courchesne Brian McQuinn Matthew E. Taylor Muhib Ullah
The massive proliferation of social media data represents a transformative
moment in conflict studies. This data can provide unique insights into the
spread and use of weaponry, but the scale and types of data are problematic for
traditional open-source intelligence. This paper presents preliminary,
transdisciplinary work using computer vision to identify specific weapon
systems and the insignias of the armed groups using them. There is potential to
not only track how weapons are distributed through networks of armed units but
also to track which types of weapons are being used by the different types of
state and non-state military actors in Ukraine. Such a system could ultimately
be used to understand conflicts in real-time, including where humanitarian and
medical aid is most needed. We believe that using AI to help automate such
processes should be a high-priority goal for our community, with near-term
real-world payoffs.