The Pentagon is investing $2 billion in artificial intelligence

If North Korea's dear leader wakes up tomorrow, takes a crazy pill and decides to lob a nuclear missile at the US mainland, there's a good chance the military will be relying on artificial intelligence to protect us. Reuters reported earlier this summer on the existence of a secretive military effort -- actually, of multiple classified programs in various stages that are all focused on the development of AI-reliant systems to help us anticipate the launch of a missile, as well as to track launchers. Fears about runaway AI notwithstanding, the Pentagon is now apparently taking that kind of an effort and planning to crank it up to 11. The Pentagon's research agency DARPA announced Monday it will be spending $2 billion on AI, the focus of which, according to CNN, will include "creating systems with common sense, contextual awareness and better energy efficiency. Advances could help the government automate security clearances, accredit software systems and make AI systems that explain themselves."