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An economic draft? Drive to get young Neets in the military divides opinion
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2026
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Ah, the military. The one industry that's not salivating at the idea of replacing all of its employees with AI.
Nice to know that after AI takes all the jobs, we'll still be able to go die in pointless wars.
Are you not watching the news about the hundreds of automated drones in Ukraine....?
Our military is unlikely to get larger in terms of manpower. I suspect for every soldier there will be 10 drones supporting them.
Yes, but the drones are expensive, whereas dead soldiers actually cost less money than live citizens.
Training and equipping soldiers of course costs nothing...
Many drones are a fraction of a soldiers annual salary, let alone the rest of the costs involved.
If the UK goes for the Russian approach of sending its undesirables and surplus population to the frontline with the cheapest possible equipment, essentially as ammunition, it could cost little. Though that only works if you have a frontline to throw them at.
Swim lads, we are invading France!
Drones can be cheaper than live soldiers.
A british private - in year 1.
£26,500 salary.
£47,500 training/kit/accommodation/food
£fuck knows in national insurance and pension contributions.
That number increases each year as their salary does.
Unmanned drone costs -
£5000 for loitering munitions
£500 for consumer drones with grenades attached etc
Right. But when the stakes are "get killed" the interest in expert opinion goes way up, and experts aren't betting their lives that today's AI can outwit humans when it matters.
In my (european) country there is a mandated draft. You get paid 5 euros a month, the only personal gear you get is the outfit, boots, winter coat with some underwear and a bedbug-pillaged blanket and pillow that most dare not use.
Why am I mentioning this? Because there's nothing stopping the UK or other nations from establishing similar draft conditions given a good enough excuse in a war economy.
€5 per month? How are they supposed to eat even?