AI-enabled military systems have been effective in battle, but some reliability issues still concern troops and their commanders: former Air Force test pilot. Cheap drones equipped with AI can destroy expensive military equipment, and the Pentagon will need to incorporate autonomous technology into its strategy to advance into the next generation of warfare, a former test pilot and military tech company executive told Fox News. "What we've seen in Europe and other theaters is that they've democratized warfare," said EpiSci Vice President of Tactical Autonomous Systems Chris Gentile. "A $1,000 drone can take out a multimillion-dollar asset." The Pentagon has a portfolio of over 800 contracts for AI-enabled projects.

AI and autonomy are two closely linked concepts. While AI refers to computer-controlled systems, autonomy describes how independently they can act from human operators. NATO has long understood the need to prioritize technological integration with AI and autonomy and published its first AI strategy in October 2021. Notable AI projects include the Chinese Brain Project's mind-controlled drones, and Russia's MiG system, which recommends maneuvers to fighter pilots. Amongst Allied capabilities, the United States Project Maven utilizes target recognition systems to identify hostile combatants and platforms, and the British army's Battlegroup Command and Control Trainer runs conflict simulations.

Even as numerous leaders in the tech world have repeatedly warned of the dangers that artificial intelligence- (AI) enabled weapons could present for the future of mankind, Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin has long been a firm supporter of AI weapons. In 2017, Putin proclaimed that the country that leads AI development could have a significant advantage over its rivals. Putin also admitted that the development of AI could present challenges for humanity. "Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind," Putin remarked. "It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world."

An interdisciplinary research team led by the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and in partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) has entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory(ARL) worth up to $68 million. The agreement brings together a large, diverse collaborative of researchers--leveraging the University System of Maryland's national leadership in engineering, robotics, computer science, operations research, modeling and simulation, and cybersecurity--to drive transformational advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy. The five-year agreement will accelerate the development and deployment of safe, effective, and resilient capabilities and technologies, from wearable devices to unmanned aircraft, that work intelligently and in cooperation with each other and with human actors across multiple environments. The robust effort encompasses three areas of research thrusts, each supported by a team of faculty, staff, and students. The new collaboration builds on a more than 25-year research partnership between UMD and ARL in AI, autonomy, and modeling and simulation to spur the development of technologies that reduce human workload and risk in complex environments such as the battlefield and search-and-rescue operations.

As Russian leadership attempts to come to terms with technology's impact on its military power and role in the world, artificial intelligence and autonomy stand out as an area of particular growth and potential for influence. In " Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy in Russia," CNA provides the first major piece of U.S. research that articulates contemporary Russia's main initiatives, achievements, and accomplishments in AI and autonomy efforts and places those initiatives within the broader technological landscape in Russia. Researchers worked closely with the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center to map and assess the Russian AI and autonomy ecosystem, finding that Russia faces significant challenges in the growth of its technological foundation--in terms of education, training, and the country's technology structure--that directly impact the development of AI and autonomy in Russia. The rapid pace of development in AI and autonomy across the globe and in Russia drives new developments and initiatives announced almost daily. As this body of work demonstrates, it is critical that U.S. national security policymakers consider that while Russia may not be a primary driver of AI innovation itself, it does prioritize investing in and capitalizing on developments in AI and autonomy.