The Army on Friday launched its new Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which will fall under the new Futures Command and look to develop AI applications for the full spectrum of Army capabilities.
The new task force will be headquartered at Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center and bring together Futures Command, the Army Research Laboratory and the Pentagon’s new Joint Artificial Intelligence Center to better leverage the most recent AI technological updates from industry and academia.
“The potential for future applications of AI is limitless. It is clear that military forces have much to gain from incorporating these advancements in technology into future vehicles, systems and equipment,” Mark Esper, secretary of the Army, said during Friday’s activation ceremony at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. “Whoever gets this first will have a decisive edge on the battlefield for years to come.”
Esper said he hopes the new AI center will allow the Army to get after AI-enabled systems for automated cyber defenses, unmanned aircraft, ground vehicles and autonomous sustainment platforms.
Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon University, said the new AI hub will specifically assist with development of machine learning tools and capabilities to process the massive amounts of data required for AI algorithms.
“Carnegie Mellon stands ready to assist the Army in building these bridges and creating a vibrant AI innovation network,” Jahanian said. “The ability to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities presented by AI depends upon extending and expanding the cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations that have served our nation so well in the past.
Gen. John Murray, commander of Futures Command, called the AI task force the final piece in the formation of the new command, following the transition of Army Capabilities Integration Center from TRADOC in December and Research, Development and Engineering Command this week.