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The Pentagon. (Photo / Photo by Charles Dharapak / AP)
The military research agency announced Friday that it would invest up to $ 2 billion over the next five years in new programs to promote artificial intelligence, speeding up the race for technology weapons with Silicon Valley.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of the Department of Defense, announced that it would fund dozens of new research efforts as part of a "Third Wave" campaign. "To develop machines that can learn and adapt to changing environments.
DARPA Director Steven Walker announced the effort Friday to an audience from academia, private industry and the US military at a symposium outside Washington.
"It's a huge deal. This is the first indication that the US is tackling advanced AI technology with the scale, funding, and seriousness that the problem demands, "said Gregory C. Allen, an assistant specializing in AI and robotics Center for a new American security. Washington think tank. "We have seen China ready to spend billions on this problem, and this is the first time the United States has done the same."
But DARPA's expansion comes at a time of tension between government agencies and technology giants, who employ some of the world's most in-demand AI talent. In June, Google announced that it would not renew its contract with the Ministry of Defense to develop an AI capable of analyzing images of drones, known as the Project Maven, following the workers' uprising.
According to some AI researchers, the new money from DARPA seems to convey a message: if Google does not want to help the military to develop the AI, another will do it.
"There are hundreds, if not thousands of schools and businesses that have launched aggressive offerings on programs," said Peter Highnam, deputy director of DARPA, during an interview. in June. "They see incredibly interesting and difficult problems. They see sets of data that they would never have access to. And they see ways to … build labs to do what they want, which is science and engineering.
[[[[Google abandons the Pentagon AI contract after employee objections to the "business of war"]
The agency said the new money would fund projects in addition to more than 20 active programs exploring advanced AI applications, including in cybersecurity; detection of fake audio or video files created by AI; and in "human-computer symbiosis" programs aimed at the interaction between people and machines.
Some proposals would use AI to deal with logistical challenges, such as verification of security clearances or the reduction of data or energy requirements of military machines. But others are more conceptual, including programs devoted to an "explainable AI," a growing movement in the field devoted to designing software that can explain how it came to an end and justify his answer.
The AI is a broad term for sophisticated software that is the backbone of technologies such as facial recognition systems, virtual assistants and autonomous cars.
The White House said in July that the US leadership in AI was the federal government's second highest priority for research and development, beyond manufacturing, space exploration and medical care in the United States. . innovation.
But military officials say that AI could also revolutionize espionage, national security and the battlefield. In a June letter announcing the launch of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, a Pentagon center to oversee AI research in the military, Defense Department leaders said the technology would "change society and,
The new projects would mark a significant jump in federal spending on AI: The government spent more than $ 2 billion on AI research and development in fiscal 2017, according to White House estimates.
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The financing comes at a time when the United States is becoming more cautious about China's national strategy. The Chinese government has heavily invested in multi – year technology campaigns aimed at over – supplying an internal AI market whose country is forecasting $ 150 billion worth by 2020. Alibaba and Baidu are working closely with the government on autonomous vehicles, health care and national security.
China has unveiled detailed guidelines and regulations on AI – some, say US researchers, echo a technology roadmap set up under the Obama administration – and used AI as recognition to strengthen national surveillance and strengthen government control. Citing China's Minister of Science and Technology, Chinese state media announced in May that the country wants to lead the world in AI by 2030.
Founded to counter Soviet research during the Cold War, DARPA has contributed to the development of the modern Internet and the building blocks of commercial AI, including some of the first autonomous cars and early versions of Siri, the Virtual assistant of Apple iPhones.
The agency sponsors research challenges and solicits proposals from researchers whose work would lead to transformational technological advances. He helped finance the work of a wide range of scientists and engineers from academia and the private sector – including Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, both of whom received funding from the DARPA.
But Google workers and technology giants have, in recent months, strongly rejected their collaboration with the government, the army or the forces of law and order. Microsoft and Amazon workers, whose employees develop facial recognition software, campaigned against the company's work with immigration officials and local police forces.
DARPA's proposals have traditionally promised AI researchers to tackle futuristic problems, far from commercial delays and the financial imperatives of private companies. And while researchers say the proposals have long drawn on public service and patriotism, they are increasingly offering AI experts the opportunity to work on issues of ethics, security and confidentiality. .
However, "it's not a blue place," said Highnam. "Everything we do, even the basic work, we know why we do it. We work for the defense.
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