Autonomous Warfare Has Arrived | African Lion 2026 Exclusive with Gen. Anderson & Lt. Gasparri

How is AI changing modern warfare? And are we already entering the age of autonomous war?

Shane Smith and VICE News travel to Morocco for African Lion 2026 — one of the largest military exercises in the world — to get an inside look at the technologies rapidly transforming the battlefield.

From AI-assisted targeting systems and autonomous combat vehicles to suicide drones, robotics, quantum computing, and next-generation military communications, Shane embeds with U.S. AFRICOM and the young soldiers building the future of warfare in real time.

In this episode of Shane Smith Has Questions, Shane speaks with General Davin R.M. Anderson, Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and 1st Lt. Vincent Gasparri, Innovation Team Lead 173rd Airborne Brigade, who leads a new generation of military innovators developing drone systems inspired by lessons from Ukraine, Iran, and modern asymmetric warfare.

The conversations explore:

• AI on the battlefield
• Autonomous weapons systems
• Drone warfare and counter-drone tech
• Robotics and future combat
• Quantum computing and encryption
• The ethics of AI warfare
• Terror threats in Africa
• How Ukraine changed military strategy
• The future of the U.S. military

As wars become increasingly automated, Shane asks the question everyone is thinking:

Are we prepared for a future where AI helps run wars?

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