Pentagon, tech industry look to artificial intelligence (AI) as crucial part of national security

WASHINGTON – In the 1960S, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) began shoveling money toward a small group of researchers with a then-fringe idea: making machines intelligent. Military money played a central role in establishing a new science -- artificial intelligence (AI). Wired reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

13 Feb. 2019 -- Sixty years later, Pentagon officials say they believe AI has matured enough to become a central plank of America’s national security. DOD on Tuesday released an unclassified version of its AI strategy, which calls for rapid adoption of AI in all aspects of the U.S. military.

The plan depends on the Pentagon working closely with the tech industry to source the algorithms and cloud computing power needed to run AI projects. Federal contracting records indicate that Google, Oracle, IBM, and SAP have signaled interest in working on future Defense Department AI projects.

Previous Defense Department efforts to tap into the tech industry’s AI expertise haven’t all gone smoothly. Last year thousands of Google employees protested against the company’s work on Project Maven, which was intended to demonstrate how the U.S. military could benefit from tapping commercially available AI technology.

Related: Army eyes autonomous cyber defenses, artificial intelligence, and machine learning for tactical networks

Related: IARPA seeks to apply trusted computing to artificial intelligence and machine learning models

Related: DISA asks industry for trusted computing ways of using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect malware

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

Ready to make a purchase? Search the Military & Aerospace Electronics Buyer's Guide for companies, new products, press releases, and videos