DARPA launches program to ensure U.S. AI dominance -- GCN

"Artificial intelligence is a technology that transcends borders," Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) said during a House hearing on the technology earlier this year. "We have allies and adversaries -- both nation-states and individual hackers -- who are pursuing artificial intelligence with all they have because dominance in artificial intelligence is a guaranteed leg up in the realm of geopolitics and economics." To ensure that the U.S. maintains an advantage in this critical area, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched the Artificial Intelligence Exploration program to develop new, game-changing AI technologies for U.S. national security. Through a series of short-term AIE Opportunities that use "other transaction authority," DARPA hopes to establish the feasibility of new AI concepts within 18 months of award. "The intent is to get researchers on contract quickly to test the value and feasibility of innovative concepts," DARPA Deputy Director Peter Highnam said.