US NAVY
“ Whether drones or decision aids , a focus on the human element is paramount in the US Navy pursuit of AI capabilities ”
BRETT VAUGHAN CHIEF AI OFFICER , US NAVY
Citing these use cases , Vaughan says : “ It might be a ship ’ s navigator , or radar operator underway in the middle of the ocean , or it might be a budget analyst in the Pentagon trying to resolve financial figures . The applications of AI in that context of decision aids are almost infinite and we are giving that potential wide address .” “ In both of those applications , whether it ' s decision aids or autonomy , we approach AI development as very problem-specific and context-dependent , which drives us to put a premium focus on the inclusion of our core user base , our warfare enterprises , in the design of AI capabilities . That means undersea warfare , surface warfare , aviation , special operations ( our Navy SEALs ), information and expeditionary warfare all have AI-enabled autonomy and decision aid applications , platforms , and uses .”
And so whether drones or decision aids , a focus on the human element is paramount in the US Navy pursuit of AI capabilities .
Integrating AI into the military culture Despite the fact that the US Navy has been investigating the potential of AI for the past 50 years , the practical application and integration of the technology has been challenging . Industry , not the federal sector , are at the forefront of AI deployment today and industry models for AI adoption don ’ t always readily translate to the military . We truly live in a digital era dominated by software . Most companies today are either born digital or can rapidly adopt softwarefocused competencies ; the US Navy is 247
40 December 2022