US defense department outlines its AI strategy

Shortly after President Trump issued his vague AI executive order, the US Defense Department outlined a more comprehensive strategy.

"The impact of artificial intelligence will extend across the entire department, spanning from operations and training to recruiting and healthcare,” DoD CIO Dana Deasy said.

A 17-page document outlines how the DoD intends to advance its AI prowess with five key steps:

Delivering AI-enabled capabilities that address key...

14 February 2019 | Government

White House will intervene to ensure the US leads in AI, 5G

The US is planning an intervention that will see it play a role in ensuring the country leads in technologies such as AI and 5G.

In an email to The Hill, an official wrote:

"Within the coming weeks, we could expect to see action designed to preserve American [research and development] leadership in artificial intelligence, 5G, and the first deliverables from the National Quantum Initiative Act.”

The ‘National Quantum Initiative Act’ is a law passed by the...

7 February 2019 | Government

Chinese university recruits ‘patriotic’ students to build AI weapons

A university in China has recruited 27 boys and four girls to become the world’s youngest AI weapons scientists. All of the students are under 18 and were picked from a list of 5,000 candidates by the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT). Beyond academic prowess, the BIT sought other qualities in the candidates. "We are looking for qualities such as creative thinking, willingness to fight, a persistence when facing challenges," a BIT professor told the South China Morning Post. The...

9 November 2018 | China

Google funding ‘good’ AI may help some forget that military fiasco

Google has launched an initiative to fund ‘good’ AI which may help some forget about the questionable military contracts it was involved with. The new initiative, called AI for Social Good, is a joint effort between the company’s philanthropic subsidiary Google.org and its own experts. Kicking off the initiative is the ‘AI Impact Challenge’ which is set to provide $25 million in funding to non-profits while providing access to Google’s vast resources. As part of the initiative,...

30 October 2018 | Google

DARPA is pumping $2bn into AI projects – including yours, possibly

DARPA shows it’s not just about creepy robots with a $2 billion funding announcement for various AI projects over the next five years. The so-called ‘Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’ researches a range of innovative new technologies. Many of these advancements will have an impact beyond defence. As such, DARPA’s funding initiative will be open to applications beyond the defence community. That means any AI project you’re involved with could be in the running to receive...

9 October 2018 | Funding

DARPA introduces ‘third wave’ of artificial intelligence

The Pentagon is launching a new artificial intelligence push it calls ‘AI Next’ which aims to improve the relationship between machines and humans. As part of the multi-year initiative, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is set to invest more than $2bn in the programme. In promo material for the programme, DARPA says AI Next will accelerate “the Third Wave” which enables machines to adapt to changing situations. For instance, adaptive reasoning will enable...

28 September 2018 | Government

Britain successfully trials AI in battlefield scanning experiment

Britain has successfully trialled using AI to scan for hidden attackers in a mock urban battlefield environment in Montreal, Canada. The AI, called SAPIENT, was developed in the UK with the aim of using sensors to detect potential unseen dangers to soldiers. SAPIENT is more efficient than manually scanning live feeds and frees up more soldiers to be used for operational means elsewhere. Canada and the UK maintain a close security partnership as part of the so-called ‘Five Eyes’...

24 September 2018 | Government

Experts warn of AI disasters leading to research lockdown

Experts from around the world have warned of potential AI disasters that could lead to a subsequent lockdown of research. Andrew Moore, the new head of AI at Google Cloud, is one such expert who has warned of scenarios that would lead to public backlash and restrictions that would prevent AI from reaching its full potential. Back in November, Moore spoke at the Artificial Intelligence and Global Security Initiative. In his keynote, he said:

"If an AI disaster...

13 September 2018 | Government

EFF offers guidance to militaries seeking AI implementation

The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has released a whitepaper offering guidance on the implementation of military AI projects. AI being used for military purposes is a scary thought, but it’s ultimately inevitable. The best that can be hoped for is that it’s used in a sensible way that addresses people’s concerns. The publishing of the whitepaper arrives in the wake of Google employees resigning over the company’s defense contract to provide AI knowledge to the US...

15 August 2018 | Military

Booz Allen secures $885m Pentagon defense AI contract

While many private companies are shying away from providing their AI expertise for defense purposes, Booz Allen has secured a $885M Pentagon contract. Under the contract, Booz Allen will help the Department of Defense and the intelligence community to “rapidly employ artificial intelligence, neural, and deep neural networks.” The company notes how today’s intelligence environment necessitates the US government maintains unprecedented amounts of Intelligence Surveillance...

1 August 2018 | Government