Ensuring the Pentagon follows ethics for artificial intelligence

In February, after more than a year consulting with a range of experts, the Department of Defense (DoD) released five principles for ethics around artificial intelligence (AI). If AI doesn't meet these standards, the Department has said, it won't be fielded. "The United States, together with our allies and partners, must accelerate the adoption of AI and lead in its national security applications to maintain our strategic position, prevail on future battlefields, and safeguard the rules-based international order," Secretary Mark Esper said in the news release. The principles, which apply to combat and non-combat functions, are that AI must be the following: responsible, equitable, traceable, reliable, and governable. Such guidelines are relatively high level, though, leaving individual departments and agencies on their own to implement what each adjective means for a specific use case.