Military Artificial Intelligence Principles

Due to rapid progress in computer processing power and memory assets, the U.S. military is leveraging applications that employ artificial intelligence (AI) principles to complete routine tasks. Because AI automates human analytical skills, the military also uses it for planning and logistics.

Autonomous Devices

As commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology becomes available, military-sponsored programs are starting to use AI techniques in the development of weapons. For example, robotics underpins the construction of unmanned aerial vehicles and submersibles that conduct underwater surveillance.

Expert Systems

Humans learn via case-based reasoning, which requires the memory of prior problems and solutions and the discernment of a match when a similar case arises. Case-based AI systems capture this same processing by drawing forth rules from cases over a period of time. For operators of reconnaissance satellites, Aegis warships and Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft, expert systems help analyze target data and pinpoint the location of enemy forces.

Artificial Neural Networks

Software that mimics the human brain in its ability to learn, build a knowledge base and apply that knowledge to novel scenarios is known as a neural network. The U.S. Army uses a neural network to examine the causes of engine malfunctions in tanks.

References

• Military & Aerospace Electronics: The Next 'New Frontier' of Artificial Intelligence
• NEC Research Institute and the Computing Research Association: Artificial Intelligence--Realizing the Ultimate Promises of Computing

Resources

• Naval Postgraduate School: Using a Competitive Approach to Improve Military Simulation