As Oppenheimer Opens, Senator Highlights Nuclear War Prevention

July 24th, 2023 - by Parliamentrians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

As Oppenheimer Opens, Sen. Markey Highlights
Two Congressional Bills to Prevent Nuclear War
Parliamentrians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

(July 23, 2023) — On July 21, Universal Pictures released into theatres the movie Oppenheimer, which chronicles the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist who was pivotal in developing the first nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project. 78 years on, the world is closer than ever to a nuclear war by crisis escalation, miscalculation, accident or intent.

In conjunction with the release of Oppenheimer, PNND Co-President Senator Markey introduced a new congressional bill aimed to educate about — and prepare for — the potential impact of nuclear war, and met with Kai Bird, co-author of the book that inspired the Oppenheimer film (American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer).

Markey and Bird used the meeting to promote both the film and legislative efforts to prevent nuclear war. The Impacts of Nuclear War Act, which Senator Markey submitted to Congress on July 18, would commission a research program and direct the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to evaluate the United States’ preparedness, lead an interdepartmental investigation on the health impacts of nuclear war, and ensure that resources are dedicated to understanding the full impact of nuclear war.

Amongst the important initiatives to prevent nuclear war, which Senator Markey and Kai Bird highlighted in their meeting of July 21, was the Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Act, which Markey submitted to the Senate on April 26, 2023.

New Technologies Raising New Concerns
Over Autonomous Nuclear Launch by AI

“Humans must always maintain sole control over nuclear weapons – this technology is too dangerous to gamble with. As my book chronicles, humanity missed a crucial opportunity at the outset of the nuclear age to avoid a nuclear arms race that has since kept us on the brink of destruction for decades.

“Now, we face the prospect of a new danger: the increasing automation of warfare. We must forestall the AI arms race. That’s why I strongly endorse Senator Markey and Representative Lieu’s bipartisan bill to block the use of artificial intelligence for nuclear launch. This bill will send a powerful signal to the world that the United States will never take the reckless step of automating our nuclear command and control.” 
— Kai Bird, Author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. sRobert Oppenheimer, the book which inspired the Oppenheimer movie.

Additional Bills/Acts on nuclear war prevention and disarmament
Senator Markey, who is also the Co-chair of the Bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, has introduced a number of other bills on nuclear risk reduction and disarmament including:

Senator and Oppenheimer Biographer Join Forces
Ed Markey / US Senator from Massachusetts

WASHINGTON (July 21, 2023) –Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, yesterday met with Kai Bird, co-author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the book that inspired the Oppenheimer film.

Following the meeting, Bird issued the following statement endorsing Senator Markey’s Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Act:
“Humans must always maintain sole control over nuclear weapons – this technology is too dangerous to gamble with. As my book chronicles, humanity missed a crucial opportunity at the outset of the nuclear age to avoid a nuclear arms race that has since kept us on the brink of destruction for decades.
“Now, we face the prospect of a new danger: the increasing automation of warfare. We must forestall the AI arms race. That’s why I strongly endorse Senator Markey and Representative Lieu’s bipartisan bill to block the use of artificial intelligence for nuclear launch. This bill will send a powerful signal to the world that the United States will never take the reckless step of automating our nuclear command and control.”

As the Senate takes up the National Defense Authorization Act, Congress has an opportunity next week to hold a vote on an amendment based on Senator Markey’s Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Act.

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