Credit Image: Mike MacKenzie on <\/em>Flickr<\/a> Critical Uncertainty \u279a\u279a\u279a<\/span><\/strong> Disruption of the current AI-power race for private and public actors alike – The U.S. takes a very serious lead in the race.<\/span><\/span> Related<\/p> Ongoing series: Portal to AI \u2013 Understanding AI and Foreseeing the Future AI-powered World<\/a> On 7 September 2018, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the Department of Defense (DoD) launched a multi-year investment of more than $2 billion in new and existing programs to favour and let emerge “the third wave” of Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to DARPA, this next generation AI should notably improve and focus upon “contextual adaptation,” i.e. “machines that understand and reason in context”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal is to enable the creation of machines that “function more as colleagues than as tools” and thus to allow for “partner[ing] with machines”. As a result, the DARPA wants to create “powerful capabilities for the DoD”, i.e.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Military systems that collaborate with warfighters will The last point is highly likely to include notably the famously feared Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) aka killer robots.<\/p>\n\n\n Even though the USD 2 billion announcement includes existing programs, DARPA’s new campaign indicates the importance of AI for the American Defence. The U.S. shows here again its willingness to remain at the top of the race for AI-power, by breaking new ground in terms of “algorithms” as well as “needs and usage”, to use our five drivers and stakes’ terminology. It also thereby adopts a distinctively disruptive strategy as it intends to go beyond the current Deep Learning wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disruption would impact both public and private actors, states and companies alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of power struggle, we may also see the launch of the DARPA campaign as an answer to the call by Alphabet (Google), Tesla and 116 international experts to ban autonomous weapons. With such an amount of funding available, it is likely that more than one expert and laboratory will see their initial reluctance circumvented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Should the U.S. succeed, then it would take a very serious lead in the current race for AI power, notably with China, as it would deeply shape the very path on which the race takes place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Image via www.vpnsrus.com<\/a> – (CC BY 2.0).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u279a\u279a Accelerating expansion of AI<\/span>
\u279a\u279a<\/span> Accelerating emergence of the AI-world<\/span><\/span>
\u279a\u279a<\/span> Increased odds to see the U.S. consolidating its lead in the AI-power race.<\/span>
\u279a\u279a<\/span> Escalating AI-power race notably between the U.S. and China.<\/span>
\u279a\u279a<\/span> Rising challenge for the rest of the world to catch up<\/span>
\u279a<\/span><\/span> Potential for escalating tension U.S. \u2013 China, including between AI actors<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nFacts and Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2605 Artificial Intelligence \u2013 Forces, Drivers and Stakes<\/a>
Militarizing Artificial Intelligence \u2013 China (1)<\/a>
\u2605 Militarizing Artificial Intelligence \u2013 China (2)<\/a><\/p>Articles starting with a \u2605 are premium articles, members-only<\/a>. The introduction remains nonetheless open access.<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
– facilitate better decisions in complex, time-critical, battlefield environments;
– enable a shared understanding of massive, incomplete, and contradictory information;
– and empower unmanned systems to perform critical missions safely and with high degrees of autonomy.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nSources and Signals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Darpa: AI Next Campaign<\/a><\/h4><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n