Modern warfare is changing rapidly, and harnessing artificial intelligence is key to staying ahead of America’s adversaries. Software companies including Govini and Palantir are behind the production and modernization of today's most high-tech weapon systems. Both companies were at the second annual AI Expo for National Competitiveness in Washington to showcase their work to the nation’s top military brass.
Fear that AI could lead to killer robots and take humans out of the so-called 'kill chain' has led to anxiety and threats of regulation that worries American innovators. But the U.S. has been ahead of its adversaries in artificial intelligence, and Karp said he wanted to keep it that way to deter any wrongdoing. 'Our adversaries have a long tradition of being not interested in the rule of law, not interested in fairness, not interested in human rights and on the battlefield.
It's about speed. What was able to be done in days or weeks is now done in minutes,' Clark said. As drone swarms have become more prominent in modern warfare, knowing exactly what weapons the U.S. had in its stockpiles would be critical to defending U.S. interests across the globe. 'I had a general say to me the other day, 'It doesn't matter if I have 50 targets. I need to know what ammo I have available,'' Clark said. Maverick is an AI-generated target effector.
One demonstration showed an intelligence tip from South Korea and how Palantir software could be used to find a nefarious cargo ship hiding in busy sea lanes. The AI software would take an intelligence tip from a U.S. ally and then show the route of a certain ship flagged that may be carrying nefarious cargo. Thanks to AI, the intelligence tip could lead quickly to targeting an enemy ship in the Pacific. Clark said humans are still the key decision-makers with this new technology.