Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown has called for allied militaries to employ artificial intelligence (AI) to meet future security challenges.
Brown made the remarks this week at the opening ceremony of the South American Defense Conference 2024 (Southdec) in Santiago, Chile, an event attended by representatives from North America, Europe and 10 South American countries, as well as partner programs in Central America and the Caribbean.
“As we look back on the strong foundations we have built through cooperation and trust, it is clear that our ability to meet security challenges also depends on our ability to evolve and adapt to an ever-changing global landscape,” Brown said of the future role of AI.
“Every organization is looking at how they can use this new technology to improve their capabilities,” Brown said, “but it's not enough to just sprinkle 'AI dust' on everything and expect transformation.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. C. Q. Brown Jr., delivers opening remarks at the South American Defense Congress 2024 in Santiago, Chile, Aug. 28, 2024. Gen. Brown said he wants to “maximize the potential” of AI. Read More Navy Chief Petty Officer James Mullen/Department of Defense
Brown outlined seven challenges he believes must be overcome to turn AI into a national security asset: infrastructure, architecture, data, focus, resources, talent and culture.
“These seven challenges are challenges we all face,” Brown said, “but by working together, we can share knowledge, experiences and solutions to realize the full potential of this new technology within our network of allies and partners.”
Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Defense (DOD) via email for further comment.
In November, the Department of Defense outlined a strategy to accelerate the adoption of AI in the defense sector, laying out an “agile approach to the development and application of AI, with an emphasis on speed of delivery and adoption at scale.”
“Technology evolves. Things will be different next week, next year, next decade. And what wins today may not win tomorrow,” Craig Martell, the Pentagon's chief digital and AI officer, said at the time.
“Rather than identifying a small number of AI-enabled warfighting capabilities to defeat our adversaries, our strategy outlines an approach that strengthens the organizational environment in which our people can continually deploy data analytics and AI capabilities to gain a persistent decision-making advantage.”
Noah Sylvia, a research analyst at the Royal Institute for Joint Military Studies, a British think tank, told Newsweek: “AI is not an on-the-spot technological revolution. It's already here, and[machine learning]is being actively used by militaries in combat today. Continuing to acquire AI on this path will make militaries more capable but less accountable to both their commanders and the public.”
Northrop Grumman is set to unveil a stealth nuclear bomber for the U.S. Air Force in 2023, whose design and testing was expedited using digital, AI-powered simulations, an expert explained to Newsweek.
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