Around 200 employees at Google DeepMind, Google’s AI research division, have raised alarms about the company’s military contracts. According to Time, they have asked Google to stop working with military organizations, believing that this use of their technology goes against Google’s ethical rules for AI.

A quick reminder: When Google acquired DeepMind in 2014, the lab was promised its AI technology would not be used for military or surveillance purposes. DeepMind operated somewhat independently for years. However, as AI competition grew, DeepMind became more integrated with Google. In 2023, it merged with Google Brain, bringing it closer to Google’s main operations.

The controversial contracts: Project Nimbus & more

The issue centers around Google’s cloud services, including AI developed by DeepMind, which have been sold to governments and militaries. The most controversial contract is Project Nimbus, a deal with the Israeli government. This contract has been criticized because it supports the Israeli military, which is involved in operations in Gaza.

DeepMind employees are worried that working with military organizations goes against Google’s AI Principles. These principles aim to ensure AI is used ethically and responsibly. They state that AI should not cause harm or be used for weapons or surveillance that violates human rights.

The employees’ letter

On May 16, 2024, the employees sent a letter voicing their concerns. The letter says that while it does not target specific conflicts or governments, it is worried about the use of AI in military settings. It argues that such involvement harms DeepMind’s commitment to ethical AI.

The letter requests three main actions:

1. Investigation: Look into how DeepMind’s technology is used by military organizations.
2. Termination: End access to DeepMind technology for military clients.
3. Governance: Create a new body to prevent future military use of DeepMind’s technology.

Company response and frustrations

Google responded by saying it follows its AI Principles and that Project Nimbus involves providing cloud services to Israeli government ministries, not directly to the military. Google claims these services are not meant for sensitive military or classified uses.

However, the letter’s signatories argue that Google’s response is unclear and does not address their concerns about supporting surveillance and violence through its technology.

Employees are frustrated with Google’s lack of action on their letter and feel that leadership has not effectively addressed their concerns.

At a June town hall meeting, DeepMind’s Chief Operating Officer, Lila Ibrahim, assured employees that DeepMind would not develop AI for weapons or mass surveillance. She emphasized Google’s commitment to responsible AI, which she said was the reason she joined and stayed with the company.

This situation at Google DeepMind reflects a larger debate in the tech industry about using advanced technologies in military applications. As AI technology continues to advance, companies like Google face the challenge of balancing business interests with ethical responsibilities. The outcome of this dispute could set important guidelines for how AI is developed and used in the future.

How is artificial intelligence used in the military? Well, there are a lot of use cases for artificial intelligence in everyday life, but what about AI in the military? Like the effect of artificial intelligence in business, AI shapes the future of “military business.”

Are you scared of AI jargon? We have already created a detailed AI glossary for the most commonly used artificial intelligence terms and explained the basics of artificial intelligence as well as the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence for organizations and others.

How is artificial intelligence used in the military?

Artificial intelligence is playing a significant role in military warfare. Because of that, several AI applications are already being developed by the US and other countries for various military uses.

The United States Defense Department released its first AI plan in 2019. As a result, this led to the development of AI systems and technologies for use in defense, research, and the military.

Compared to conventional systems, AI-powered military systems can better manage the enormous volume of data efficiently. Because AI is so good at making decisions, it dramatically enhances the self-regulation, self-control, and self-actuation of combat systems.

Artificial intelligence is used in almost all military applications, and it is anticipated that increased funding for research and development from military research agencies to create novel and cutting-edge uses of artificial intelligence will lead to a rise in the use of AI-driven systems in the military. Did the precursors of artificial intelligence dream of it?

According to Globenewswire, the market for artificial intelligence in the military is projected to be valued at approximately USD 13.71 billion by 2028. It is impressive, right? But what is it for?

Benefits of artificial intelligence in the military

There are several uses of how is artificial intelligence used in the military: 

• Strategic decision-making
  • Scenario analyses that are exact and quick
  • Neutralizing biases
  • Reasonable action in urgent circumstances
• Training
  • Individualized instruction
  • Fair evaluations
  • Promotions
  • Greater realism in the simulations and exercise
  • Reliable computer models of emerging technology
• Military operations
  • Efficient processing of data from various sources
  • Administrative tasks are made easier with proactive logistics
  • Reduced dangers for the troops thanks to autonomous logistics
  • Enhancing the support systems

Let’s now examine the general advantages of AI in the military:

Threat sensing

Battlefields are extremely hazardous locations. According to the U.S. army, AI could mitigate some of the threats. Aided threat recognition from Mobile Corporative and Autonomous Sensors is the name of the procedure used by the American army system.

With this technology, soldiers may identify dangers more quickly and receive guidance on how to deal with them. Army aircraft and ground vehicles now have intelligent sensors. It is one of the most important examples of how is artificial intelligence used in the military.

Reduces human labor

AI is used in sectors like manufacturing and agriculture to reduce the size of the labor force. Consequently, the need for staff is reduced due to artificial intelligence.

Improves recruitments

Over the years, many national defense organizations have employed various hiring practices, from job fair booths to television ads. Finding qualified candidates prepared to serve is easier thanks to artificial intelligence in the military.

How is artificial intelligence changing the recruiting process?

For instance, the Air Force Special Operations Command has 30 years of data. According to one of the sources, roughly 35% of the 2.5 million monthly visitors to the army website are female. Hence, the army has also introduced a female chatbot to go along with a male counterpart.

Training

The military experience includes training extensively. This kind of education that soldiers acquire impacts their performance and the performance of everyone who collaborates with them on a mission.

An air force and U.S. army pilot completed a program of an artificial intelligence training tool that offers the content and measures progress. Regular use results in a 40% reduction in the time needed to do the assignment.

Artificial intelligence in the military can eliminate the possibility of obsolete textbook learners. They receive the syllabus information on tablets, and those technologies immediately reflect any updates made by the distributors to the material.

Better cybersecurity

Employees must turn off their computers after a cyberattack on a business and use manual techniques such as pen and paper until IT specialists can investigate the issue. So it’s easy to envision how disastrous an attack of a similar nature on cutting-edge military technology could be.

Do you know how employees ignore cybersecurity training?

The American army recently requested research into cybersecurity technologies powered by artificial intelligence that may protect personnel and communication networks. It is one of the most important examples of how is artificial intelligence used in the military.

Check out the cybersecurity best practices in 2022

Easy transportation

Soldiers must navigate their vehicles through uncharted territory or terrain with few roads or other modes of mobility. Research is being done to add AI to autonomous vehicles so military personnel can get some help with their travel.

Is artificial intelligence better than human intelligence? Before you decide, let’s analyze the disadvantages of artificial intelligence in the military.

Disadvantages of artificial intelligence in the military

These are some disadvantages of how is artificial intelligence used in the military:

• Strategic decision-making
  • Low crisis stability as a result of quick judgments
  • Algorithms may be biased by nature
• Training
  • Overestimation of findings generated by AI
  • Due to conflicts between military culture and ideals held by military members, there are issues with culture and personnel
• Military operations
  • Supply chain risk brought on by a lack of inventory
  • Strategic instability decline
  • Uncertain whether automated vehicles could be used in complicated situations
  • Cost

The areas where AI needs to catch up in the defense industry are examined below.

High cost of implementation

Given the intricacy of engineering involved in creating one, setting AI machines, computers, etc., improves substantial costs.

Additionally, the outrageous costs don’t end there because repairs and maintenance can cost thousands of dollars.

Software systems that are artificially based must frequently be upgraded to meet the demands of a changing environment since machines need to get smarter all the time.

Human touch

While it is true that machines are more effective than people, people cannot be replaced by machines. Human intelligence cannot be artificially created in a computer soon. So, no matter how intelligent a machine is, it will never be able to replace people completely yet.

Additionally, because they cannot comprehend the concept of ethics or the law, robots cannot decide or distinguish between right and wrong.

Self-progress

The capacity of human logic to improve with age and experience is one of its key characteristics. Since AIs cannot develop in that way because they are machines, the same cannot be true for them. With time, they begin to deteriorate.

Machines are unable to adapt to changing circumstances. The repetitive nature of work with unchangeable input is the fundamental concept of artificial intelligence. AIs need to be reevaluated, retrained, and rebuilt whenever there is a change in the input.

Creativity

Since robots, not artificial intelligence, are capable of imagination or creativity, AI was not designed to produce creative works. AI can assist you in creating something unique, but it can’t yet match the power of the human mind.

Check out the effect of artificial intelligence in developing countries

Artificial intelligence in military examples

Here are a few of the well-known examples of how is artificial intelligence used in the military that are now operational:

• Project Maven: It decodes vast amounts of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data using AI and ML approaches. Additionally, the Pentagon is the project’s sponsor. As a result, it is a technique employed by many intelligence and operational agencies. It is often referred to as “Algorithmic Warfare.”
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: DARPA’s Squad X Experimentation program aims to design, develop, and validate emerging systems and technologies. As a result, it functions with sensor instruments, autonomous prototypes, etc. Additionally, Squad X emphasizes accuracy and non-kinetic involvement. As a result, it supports projects involving squad autonomy and squad sensing.
• ATLAS: Advanced Targeting and Lethality Automated System is the project’s full name. The Army’s ambition to create autonomous vehicles for contemporary warfare is reflected in the project. Additionally, it is an effort to create combat robots that can fight alongside or perhaps in place of human soldiers.

Are robots artificial intelligence?

Applications of artificial intelligence in military

The main applications of artificial intelligence are as follows, and they will advance in the upcoming years:

• Cybersecurity
• Warfare systems
• Logistics and transport
• Target recognition
• Warfare healthcare
• Threat monitoring & situational awareness
• AI & data information processing
• Combat simulation & training

Let’s dive deep into applications of artificial intelligence in the military.

Cybersecurity

Threats of cyberattacks against military systems can result in the loss of vital military data and harm those systems. AI-enabled systems, on the other hand, guard against unwanted access to networks, programs, data, and computers.

Additionally, online security systems with AI capabilities may record the cyberattack pattern and subsequently create counterattack tools.

Warfare systems

Several nations’ armed forces incorporate AI into weapons and other military systems deployed on space, air, sea, and land platforms. These systems are more effective at combat and require less human involvement, thanks to AI.

Additionally, less maintenance has led to improved performance and higher synergy of military systems. AI can equip autonomous weapons to launch coordinated assaults.

Logistics and transport

Soon, AI will be essential to military logistics and support. A military operation’s ability to be carried out successfully depends on the movement of troops, equipment, ammunition, and supplies.

AI integration in transportation can cut manual labor requirements and transportation costs. It helps military ships detect anomalies and promptly predict component breakdowns.

Target recognition

In challenging combat conditions, AI techniques can improve target recognition precision. Analyzing newsfeeds, documents, reports, and other information allows defensive forces to have a thorough grasp of probable operating domains.

Target recognition systems incorporating AI can better pinpoint their targets’ whereabouts. Target identification systems driven by AI may predict enemy activity, aggregate environmental data, analyze mission approaches, and employ mitigation techniques, among other things. Targets are tracked using machine learning and the collected data.

Warfare healthcare

Robotic Ground Platforms (RGP) and AI can be combined to deliver remote surgical support in conflict areas. Under extreme circumstances, AI-powered systems can successfully mine a soldier’s medical history and provide diagnosis support.

IBM research team’s development of the Electronic Medical Record Analyzer in collaboration with the US Veterans Administration is a prime example of this (EMRA). This system has been developed to process patient medical records; identify and rank their health issues using machine learning techniques.

Threat monitoring & situational awareness

ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) operations are crucial for threat monitoring and situational analysis. These operations support information processing for a wide range of military actions. ISR operations may be carried out by unmanned systems dispatched along a predetermined path. If these technologies include AI, military personnel will be better able to assess threats and maintain situational awareness. It is one of the most used examples of how is artificial intelligence used in the military.

Do you know data architects, cloud computing jobs, data engineer jobs, machine learning engineers, and artificial intelligence careers are hot and on the rise?

Drones and AI can be combined to monitor border areas, identify risks, and communicate threat information to the relevant reaction teams. Thus, the use of AI improves military personnel’s security during combat.

AI & data information processing

AI is very helpful in fast processing large volumes of data and extracting useful information. AI assists in assembling crucial data from several datasets and collecting and adding supersets of data from many sources. Military personnel can use this technique to find trends and derive relationships.

Combat simulation & training

Simulation and training integrate several disciplines, including computer science, system engineering, and software engineering, to build computerized models that familiarize soldiers with the many combat systems used in military operations.

Applications for training and simulation are receiving more funding than ever. The US Army has started sensor simulation programs and conducts warfare analysis. The US Navy has tapped companies, including SAIC, Orbital ATK, and Leidos, to support their initiatives.

Future of artificial intelligence in military

Future military applications will also heavily rely on artificial intelligence. It will be employed considerably more than people to boost operating speed, decrease workload, and improve production.

The Pentagon wants to give DOD permission to spend $874 million on military and defense-related AI and ML technologies. Additionally, the Pentagon devotes a portion of its $2.3 billion science and technology research budget to artificial intelligence for the military.

As a result, investments in AI will be made in areas such as hypersonic technology, direct energy, unmanned technologies, cyber weapons, etc.

Increased funding for AI research by military organizations has since shown that the technology is being used more frequently. As a result, AI will be crucial in processing vast volumes of data and automating systems in modern warfare.

Check out the best masters in artificial intelligence online

Conclusion

How is artificial intelligence used in the military? Modern warfare is changing the way the military and defense industries operate. However, while the market evolves due to technology, the technology is also being impacted by the growing expectations and goals.

Many defense-related fields have advanced since AI was introduced, including target definition, cybersecurity, and RADAR and SONAR systems. However, no machine can fully replace humans, especially in places like a country’s borders where human interaction is crucial.

Nations worldwide continuously compete to establish themselves as the absolute powerhouse for AI in the military and defense.

A recently released study is challenging America’s political narrative about the consent of the public toward the use of drones as instruments of modern warfare.

Up to now, the picture drawn by opinion polls has suggested a very positive domestic opinion of drones, which has also influenced administrative decisions and policy-making regarding their use. In a speech at the National Defense University in May 2013, President Barack Obama outlined the major advantages of drones: A considerably lower number of soldiers actually being deployed, and the decreased level of scrutiny for the government that comes with this reduction of troop deployment. The popularity of drones had been derived from public opinion polls, but the validity of these polls had barely been questioned, until now.

The study’s findings suggest, that even though drone operations are highly accepted in general, accounts of their civilian victims strongly diminish this consent. This applies both to an approach questioning who is a justifiable target, as well as one that is centred around collateral damage which where both tested out in different treatment groups. Opinion polls usually disregard this factor, as they only ask for the individuals opinion on the use of drones to specifically eliminate terrorists. Including information about the number of civilian deaths as collateral damage more than halved the number of supporters. Another surprising outcome: Foreign civilian casualties are of greater effect to the support for drone operations than those in American military or a possible failure of the mission. This is closely connected to another one of the study’s findings regarding the expected precision with which drones operate. Expecting drones to eliminate specific targets more effectively, the responses showed a stronger compassion towards civilian victims than in the case of low or moderate precision bombings. This factor raises more criticism of the attacks themselves and the question of proportionality becomes more pressing, contesting Obama’s assumption that drone attacks need less justification towards the public than classical interventions.

Overall, the lack of emphasis on civilian casualties in American mainstream media appears to be the main cause of the disproportionate domestic consent with the use of drones in the U.S. compared to other countries. These new observations are especially interesting considering the current situation in Iraq. Should drones be used to fight ISIS and if yes, how is this operation to be carried out? It might also result in a stronger focus on preventing civilian casualties, such as making offensive moves before ISIS reaches more densely populated areas. What becomes clear from this data is that the American public is in need for more, not less transparency about military involvements, especially such including drone attacks, not less.

Read more here.

(image credit: Rennette Stowe)

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The military and intelligence community in the US have been publicly discussing how they’re integrating Big Data analytics to increase situational awareness. But for the military using big data is not without its challenges; with oceans of data at their disposal, knowing with data is valuable and how best to use it can prove difficult.

In spite of the challenges, Big Data heralds an era of new opportunities for the intelligence community. “Historically, the intelligence community … has suffered from what is termed as ‘operational thrashing,’ where analysts are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of unstructured data, aged intelligence and circular reporting, making real-time accurate decision support extremely difficult, resulting in intelligence analysis paralysis,” said Peter Tran, senior director of the worldwide advanced cyber defense practice at RSA, a security consulting firm. “Big data application has improved signal-to-noise ratio efficiency, context enrichment, and integration of open-domain and closed-domain intelligence.”

Lisa Shaler-Clark, deputy director, Futures, for the Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), talked about specific actionable insights already gained. “Big data analytics allow analysts to look broadly in new areas, such as parts of Africa, which are emerging areas of interest, and also to look deeply within familiar areas to understand what is happening — or what happened in the recent past.” One of the main focuses will be analysing data in retrospect, trying to identify patterns within already-existing data to build algorithms and make better-informed decisions in the future.

Discussing what will be key to the initiative’s success, the ISR have established two main objectives. One, all sources used must be in-depth, and enriched with as many different data points as possible. Two, observations and user notes must be used as part of the data set where possible, as a separate additional “source”.

Another factor which will be key to successful Big Data integration will be establishing uses cases where Big Data can be useful, and knowing where adhering to “small” data approaches will prove more servicable. “Some areas where situational awareness is needed are simply sparse areas where not much information is known by people outside the area,” Shaler-Clark said. “Remote areas or closed regimes are examples of these sparse zones where other [non big data-related] approaches may be more useful.”

Picking the right analysts for the job is also a priority. Knowing which data to keep, building the algorithms to use it and knowing exactly where this information will come in useful all fall under the remit of human responsibility. CAPT Christopher Page, deputy director of Assured Command and Control in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance, stated finding the right people for the job is still a primary focus- vitally important for us to continue placing heavy emphasis on recruiting, employing and retaining the best of the best”.

Read more here.
(Photo credit: Soldier Media Center)

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