US DoD Criticized for AI Development Pace

US DoD Criticized for AI Development Pace

AI, photo illus. by Pixabay
AI, photo illus. by Pixabay

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The National Security Commission on AI believes that China could soon replace the U.S. as the world’s “AI superpower” and said there are serious military implications to consider. The U.S. is drastically underprepared for the age of artificial intelligence, according to a group of experts chaired by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

The report written by the US National Security Commission on AI, warns that AI systems will be used in the “pursuit of power” and that “AI will not stay in the domain of superpowers or the realm of science fiction.” In an AI-enabled world, the Defense Department will be unable to modernize the way it recruits talent, trains the force, develops and integrates technology, and funds all of these elements without internal culture shifts and help from Congress.

The report also urges President Biden to reject calls for a global ban on highly controversial AI-powered autonomous weapons, saying that China and Russia are unlikely to keep to any treaty they sign, according to cnbc.com.

Among the conclusions, the report warns: “Perhaps the most urgent and compelling reason to accelerate the use of AI for national security is the possibility that more advanced machine analysis could find and connect the dots before the next attack, when human analysis alone may not see the full picture as clearly.” 

The 15 members of the commission include technologists, national security professionals, business executives and academic leaders. Among them are prominent leaders from Amazon, Oracle, Microsoft and Google.

The report emphasizes why it is urgent that the Department of Defense and Congress work together to modernize the way defense programs and budgets develop, integrate and deploy the latest technologies in support of American national security.

It stressed that the Defense Department should commit to building budgets that invest at least 3.4 percent of the annual defense budget in science and technology and allocate at least $8 billion for research and development of “core AI.” To be able to afford this, the department would have to change its acquisition and resourcing approaches to get more and faster value for its money.