Pentagon creates generative AI task force

‘We must consider the extent to which our adversaries will employ this technology and seek to disrupt our own use of AI-based solutions,’ says new unit’s leader
Washington is increasingly wary of Beijing’s access to its AI technology for military use

US-China relations

Amber Wangin Washington

Published: 6:03am, 11 Aug 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

The US has established its first generative artificial intelligence task force, the Pentagon announced on Thursday, amid fierce competition with China in the domain that is vital to future warfare.

Task Force Lima, as it is called, will assess, synchronise and employ generative AI capabilities across the Defence Department, ensuring that it remains at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies while safeguarding national security, according to a Pentagon statement.

Craig Martell, the department’s chief digital and artificial intelligence officer and the task force’s leader, said the Pentagon had an imperative to responsibly pursue the adoption of generative AI models while mitigating national security risks. “We must also consider the extent to which our adversaries will employ this technology and seek to disrupt our own use of AI-based solutions,” he added.

Generative AI is “a category of AI algorithms that generate new outputs based on the data they have been trained on”, according to the World Economic Forum, with a wide range of applications including the creation of images, text and audio. The most widely known generative AI application is ChatGPT, which was launched in 2022.

01:26

Israel installs AI-powered gun at West Bank checkpoint as riot control

By leveraging generative AI models, which can use vast data sets to train algorithms and generate products, the Pentagon said it aimed to enhance its operations in areas such as warfare, readiness, health and policy.

Task Force Lima’s mission commander, Captain M. Xavier Lugo of the US Navy, said the Pentagon recognised generative AI’s potential to significantly improve intelligence, operational planning, and administrative and business processes. “However, responsible implementation is key to managing associated risks effectively,” he said.

Washington is increasingly wary of Beijing’s access to its AI technology for military use, and has announced plans to restrict American investment in sensitive fields such as “certain AI systems” in China, according to an executive order President Joe Biden signed on Wednesday.

The move, Biden said, was in response to the “rapid advancement” of China’s capabilities in semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence, and the enhancement of its ability to conduct activities that threaten US national security.

Could artificial intelligence help halt a hypersonic missile attack?

The emergence of military AI will likely deepen the US-China rivalry and increase strategic risks, according to a recent report by the Washington-based think tank Centre for a New American Security.

“In the near- and midterm, most of the changes AI will usher in will be incremental and narrow. But in the mid- to long-term, some could be revolutionary and general,” the report said.

“China provides little transparency on its military modernisation efforts, including for AI, which could someday lead to strategic surprise for the United States if Beijing manages to make breakthroughs in secret,” it added.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, speaking at a US House hearing in May, said China invests far more in AI for defence than the US does. The US is “slightly ahead” by a few years in the key areas such as AI and quantum computing, but he warned that “there’s every reason to think they have more people working on strategic AI”.

The risks of the military use of AI are being debated. More than 60 countries, including the US and China, signed a “call to action” endorsing the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the military during a conference in February.