The U.S. Army has unveiled a new 500-day plan to bolster its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and protect troops from potential threats. The plan includes two key initiatives: “Break AI” and “Counter AI.”
The “Break AI” initiative aims to rigorously test developing AI technologies to ensure they are reliable and error-free when deployed to soldiers in the field. Young Bang, principal deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army’s Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology office, emphasized the importance of testing AI algorithms in a controlled, trusted environment.
“One of the obstacles to adoption is how we look at risk around AI. We have to look at issues around poisoned datasets, adversarial attacks, trojans, and those types of things,” Bang said. The “Counter AI” initiative protects U.S. military platforms and algorithms from cyber threats and attacks by adversaries.
Jennifer Swanson, deputy assistant secretary of the Army’s Office of Data, Engineering, and Software, highlighted the need for robust defensive measures.
Bolstering AI capabilities in defense
We want to ensure our platforms, algorithms, and capabilities are secure from attack and threat, but it’s also about how we counter what the adversary has,” Swanson said.
The announcement of these initiatives follows the conclusion of a 100-day sprint that explored the integration of AI into the Army’s acquisition processes. The sprint reviewed how the Army could develop secure in-house AI algorithms while also incorporating external technologies. The Army’s AI efforts will culminate in Project Linchpin, which is planned to be fully operational by 2026.
This initiative extends from an information fusion project called Titan, which was demonstrated during Project Convergence four years ago. Despite actively seeking industry collaboration, the Army will not disclose all details publicly to maintain operational security and prevent adversaries from gaining insights that could undermine U.S. efforts. As the military moves toward advanced AI applications, these initiatives represent crucial steps in integrating and securing AI technologies, preparing the U.S. Army for future warfare challenges.
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