Arms race

Arms Race in The Field of Artificial Intelligence

The Pentagon sees Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related technologies as key enablers of future military operations. But the Defense Department faces challenges as it seeks to acquire them. “All the services are actually quite engaged in a campaign to understand where advanced artificial intelligence and autonomy can be inserted to help defeat adversaries across the spectrum of potential conflicts that we might find ourselves in,” Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Paul Selva said, at a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “It’s very compelling when one looks at the capabilities that AI can bring to command and control and the capabilities that advanced robotics might bring to a complex battle space,” he added.

In April, then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work established an algorithmic warfare cross-functional team at the Pentagon to advance these efforts. “Although we’ve taken steps to explore the potential of AI, big data and deep learning, I remain convinced that we need to do much more to take advantage of recent and future advances in these critical areas,” he said.