Eric Schmidt has prodded the Pentagon for years to hurry along its software-buying process. Today the AI tech investor and former Google CEO is more determined than ever to urge government decision-makers to pick up the pace, but not just when it comes to buying more software for the Defense Department. Schmidt wants the government to implement his sweeping blueprint to fight what he considers an existential threat to democracy posed by China's AI plans, an effort that could also bolster his own commercial AI interests. He says the U.S.'s national security and economic leadership are dependent upon spending billions to procure smarter software, bolster AI research, and build the country's computer science talent pool. And he says he knows better than the Pentagon itself how to remove the bureaucratic blockades preventing more agile use of AI by the government. But at the same time, Schmidt's venture capital firm Innovation Endeavors has invested in companies that have received multimillion-dollar contracts from federal agencies. Some of those investments and contracts -- reported here for the first time -- were granted between 2016 and 2021 while Schmidt chaired two influential government initiatives, the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board and the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, in its final report to Congress and the Biden administration last year, warned artificial intelligence will soon become "weapons of first resort in future conflicts." That warning, as well as the commission's recommendation for the federal government to increase spending on basic research and development, remains urgent for the U.S. to remain AI-ready in the coming years, even though the commission no longer remains. The commission disbanded in October 2021, but many of its leading experts have shifted to a private-sector entity, the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP). The name stems from the Rockefeller Special Studies Project, launched in 1956 by Nelson Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger following the Soviet Union's launch of the satellite Sputnik. SCSP chief executive officer Ylli Bajraktari, NSCAI's former executive director, said Rockefeller and Kissinger saw their project as a way for the U.S. to further define its national objectives when it came to defense, security and foreign policy. "This is not the first time that we're seeing technology playing a critical role in great power competition," Bajraktari said.

American technology companies racing to develop and adopt artificial intelligence technology should do so responsibly and safely, according to a longtime security expert who has spent years studying the issue.  In a conversation on Thursday during A.I. Week, an event produced by Scoop News Group, Yll Bajraktari, the executive director of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, urged U.S. citizens to think carefully about the ethical use of powerful new technologies. The advice comes after Bajraktari’s commission published a report advising the U.S. government on issues to consider around the use of A.I.  The commission was established in 2018 to examine America’s ability to defend against malicious automation, and understand how the U.S. might best move forward in understanding such technology. In a report published March of this year, the group warned that the U.S. is not sufficiently prepared to compete with China on the issue.  “The United States […]

A new program is being introduced into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) that claims that when it launches, it will be the "best artificially and emotionally intelligent virtual immigration advisor in Canada," according to its website. Founded in July of 2017 by CEO Nargiz Mammadova, Destin AI is primed to be the first AI-based chatbot created to guide immigrant applicants through the Canadian immigration process. Destin AI is one of six start up technology companies chosen to compete for a four-month residency with Ryerson University's Legal Innovation Zone (LIZ). The challenge is sponsored by LIZ and the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, and aims to encourage and support Ontario-based technology companies that want to integrate AI into legal applications. Destin AI offers a self-assessment eligibility checker, helps to prepare necessary documents, and leads users through the steps of their application.