China, Russia, and the US Are All Building Centers for Military AI

Russia and the United States are moving closer to opening their own centers for military-related research into artificial intelligence, as China did in the spring of last year. But the three governments have differing approaches. The U.S. Joint Artificial Intelligence Center aims to apply lessons from an Air Force pilot project to other military services, while the Chinese approach fuses civilian and military research and Russia's efforts are closely directed from the Kremlin. "What's interesting is the extent to which the Russian government and especially the Ministry of Defense is marshaling resources for the development of AI for its military," said Sam Bendett, an associate research analyst at CNA and a fellow in Russia studies at the American Foreign Policy Council. The new innovation technopolis, dubbed Era and slated to open in September with a bare-bones research staff, is planned to grow to a 50-acre city by 2020.