In 2019, the United States Department of Defense proposed a $718 billion budget for 2020. This budget would set aside $927 million for AI and machine learning. It’s clear that the military, like so many other sectors and industries, is prioritizing technology when it comes to improving their practices and procedures ” and software development companies like BairesDev are rising to the challenge.
How, exactly, is technology transforming the military and its operations? Here are three key ways.
Artificial intelligence
Practically since its inception, AI has been a major force in military equipment. It has vast-reaching implications for a wide array of systems and tools used in planning, practicing, combat, and beyond.
For example, AI is being used in military aircraft systems for predictive maintenance. The Defense Innovation Unit, established by the Pentagon in 2015 to connect technology vendors and the military, granted C3.ai a $95 million contract to improve aircraft.
C3.ai is developing software that leverages machine learning algorithms that will monitor systems and identify potential failures, as well as assess the maintenance that must occur in order to keep aircraft in the air. The tool will also be able to identify the new parts aircraft need and where to find them.
This is just one application of AI in the military. But while there are many ways this technology could transform operations, it could also have devastating consequences.
In October 2019, an article entitled Military artificial intelligence can be easily and dangerously fooled appeared in MIT Technology Review citing a study conducted by Chinese researchers that found that it was possible to trick the AI algorithms powering the Tesla electric car.
For example, slightly altering lane markings on a road confused the system into driving over the markings and into oncoming traffic. What if similar techniques were used to fool attack-drones, or software that analyzes satellite images, into seeing things that aren’t there ”or not seeing things that are? Will Knight, the article’s author, wonders.
Augmented reality
The U.S. Army made waves when it signed a contract with Microsoft to purchase 100,000 HoloLens headsets amounting to $479 million in 2018. This would be the largest augmented reality (AR) deal in the world. The headsets would be leveraged for several purposes, including simulating a combat environment to prepare Army personnel for actual combat, enabling tankers and troops to track enemy vehicles and combatants, and more.
Like AI, AR is touching a wide range of industries, including hospitality, gaming, retail, education, and now the military. The idea is that the technology digitally layers images over a real-world view. This is different from virtual reality (VR), which creates an entirely digital simulation.
But also like AI, AR in the military is not without its detractors. In 2019, Microsoft employees published an open letter to top Microsoft leaders Satya Nadella and Brad Smith stating: “The application of HoloLens within the IVAS system is designed to kill people. It will be deployed on the battlefield, and works by turning warfare into a simulated ‘video game,’ further distancing soldiers from the grim stakes of war and the reality of bloodshed.”
Hypersonic weapons
In March 2020, the Pentagon reported that a test of their new hypersonic weapon system was a success. The C-HGB (common hypersonic glide body) was deployed from a site in Hawaii and accurately hit the target.
Hypersonics are a classification of weapons that has a speed faster than Mach 5, in some cases up to Mach 20. These weapons can function at multiple altitudes and can hit targets at long distances, even thousands of miles away, minutes after launching.
The U.S., eager not to fall behind China and Russia in the arms race, prioritized the development of hypersonic weapons, an area where the two rival countries have made great strides.
The implications for technology in the military are many ” from AI to AR. As new advancements and innovations emerge, military leaders and policymakers will have to be cognizant of taking care to use these tools responsibly and effectively, especially when people’s lives are on the line.
