Pentagon Develops Its Own AI Hub
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/08/29
The Pentagon is working to keep a pace with the international developments in the artificial intelligence or AI community. October, 2016, saw the formation of the Defense Innovation Board with its set of recommendations.
One of the recommendations in the larger set was the centralization of an AI and machine learning applied research unit within the Defense Department of the US Government.
Now, in latter 2018, we see the development of the Pentagon systems for AI research. Indeed, the Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan issued a memorandum.
In it, there was the formal creation of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. The purpose is to more rapidly research, develop, and implement a wide variety of AI tools for the Defense Department’s purposes.
There are a set of National Mission Initiatives, of which the larger AI projects are a major part. Some deal with the more urgent, grander challenges within the mandate of the Defense Department.
The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is intended to improve coordination and collaboration for a variety of AI projects with private industry and public educational institution experts and researchers.
Some of the purported considerations are for ethical and humanitarian efforts. There will be the AI defense principles based on statements by the head of machine learning at the Pentagon, Brendan McCord.
The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is a big step in the work of the Defense Department in its goals of AI research and tools to assist in its work. The work to better integrate AI-assistance in into its operations and work for the United States, as part of general national security.
As noted, with the Cold War over, the US retained almost unprecedented power and has continued to for a long time since the end of it. There is an almost unmatched level of military and technological sophistication of the United States compared to any other country on the surface of the Earth.
Now, the technologies that lay the foundation for the superiority of the US in military capabilities has been challenged, fundamentally. Because the technology has been spread throughout the world and, thus, reducing the exclusivity of the technological superiority the US compared to other nations around the globe. This challenges hegemony of the United States.
The Defense Department utilization of AI technology is an important part of the increased protection of the governmental and citizen interests of the US because the battle networks of the Defense Department can help with the efficiency and power of the US military and its intended operations and missions.
“The 2018 National Defense Strategy foresees that AI will likely change the character of war; thus, in Shanahan’s words, the United States ‘must pursue AI applications with boldness and alacrity,” as reported, “A major challenge to the realization of the Defense Department’s AI ambitions is that the capabilities to develop and deploy cutting-edge AI technologies today sit almost exclusively within the domain of private technology companies.”
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