The Use of Artificial Intelligence by the United States Navy: Case Study of a Failure

Organizations are adaptive systems that continually attempt to push the limits of their own effectiveness to approach perfection. This approach is true of the "mom and pop" store that is threatened by the growth of shopping malls. It is true of the gigantic corporation that is threatened by public regulation and private competition. It is particularly true of organizations that are confronted with complex tasks, the vagaries of uncertainty, and the high and visible costs of irreversible error. The cause of organization ineffectiveness or, indeed, failure is often perceived to be human frailty (Perrow 1984).