The United States government created the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) in 2018. Its first members were appointed by congress, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Commerce. This unelected commission had a unique task: advise the U.S. government on new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to improve national security. As we saw with the development of nuclear weapons, it is better to be the trailblazer with new technology than be shocked by it when it is first unveiled on the battlefield. Members of the commission were instructed by congress to make America more proficient with artificial intelligence than its enemies, provide insight on how to integrate artificial intelligence into the American workforce, and develop an ethical framework with which to proceed (NSCAI). The 756-page report was released in March 2021, and it offered a thoroughly supported grim take on the United States’ ability to compete or defend itself in the new AI era.
The NSCAI consists of 15 members. This temporary and independent Federal entity was led by Eric Schmidt, who formerly served as Google’s CEO from 2001 to 2011 before becoming its Executive Chairman. Each person picked to serve on the committee was strategically selected, and each person has a unique background and approach to bring to the collection of impressive individuals. Andy Jassy is a prime example of the talent that worked on the committee, and he served as the CEO of Amazon Web Services from 2003 to 2021. He is now the CEO of Amazon (NSCAI Commissioners).
Artificial intelligence has been around for quite some time now, and it has slowly evolved alongside computers. It has only recently become relevant in our everyday lives, and this is attributable to showing neural networks immense quantities of data (Wired). Scientists’ understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning is rapidly expanding. That lead me to question whether the lack of scientific advancement within the Department of Defense was a result of complacency, stupidity, or bureaucracy. John Hyten retired from his position as commander of U.S. Strategic Command (he was the nation’s second-highest-ranking military officer) amid deep frustration with the painfully slow bureaucratic system. He gave stern warnings about how the Pentagon’s fear of failure as well as its bureaucratic nature are causing the United States to lag behind China’s constant scientific advancement within its space and military technologies (Space News). Another government official has also expressed concern with the speed at which the U.S. military responds to technological innovation. The Pentagon’s first chief software officer, Nicolas Chaillan, resigned from his position in 2021, and his departing message was not pleasant:
“We have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years. Right now, it’s already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion… Whether it takes a war or not is kind of anecdotal” (Reuters).
Chaillan attributes China’s forward-thinking approach to its mandates that require tech companies to work with the government. Substantial investments into artificial intelligence along with help from its most prominent tech companies have put the Chinese government ahead of the U.S. government technologically. Chaillan’s frustrations ultimately led to his departure from his government role, and his impressive resume (see it here: LinkedIn) implies that this was a serious loss for the Pentagon.
After reading parts of the executive summary that was released with the report, I found some notable excerpts that demonstrate how other countries are using artificial intelligence in dubious ways.
“Adversaries are using AI systems to enhance disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks. They are harvesting data on Americans to build profiles of their beliefs, behavior, and biological makeup for tailored attempts to manipulate or coerce individuals. This gathering storm of foreign influence and interference requires organizational and policy reforms to bolster our resilience.”
“Prepare for future warfare. Our armed forces’ competitive military-technical advantage could be lost within the next decade if they do not accelerate the adoption of AI across their missions. This will require marrying top-down leadership with bottom-up innovation to put operationally relevant AI applications into place” (NSCAI Executive Summary).
Both of these short selections from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence’s executive summary are extremely alarming. I did not expect such a pessimistic outlook from the NSCAI or the two former government officials mentioned a few paragraphs above, but there is hope. The commission presented a set of recommendations after telling us that China is silently infiltrating the United States, and it starts with advocating for the U.S. government to increase its artificial intelligence research and development spending to $32 billion by 2026, which is more than double its current amount. It also suggests that a new body be established that exists to advise the president as decisions are made about AI-related policies. Other recommendations included changing immigration laws for AI specialists, speeding up the adoption of AI technologies within U.S. government agencies, and following the lead of the private tech sector (CNBC). In a recent 2023 interview with Schmidt, he suggested that the military should model their approach to innovation after tech companies, such as Microsoft. Schmidt has said that it is simply “great human beings inside a bad system” and that if we were to build a better warfighting system, “we would just create a tech company” (Fortune). His faith in the military is evident, and it should certainly give us belief in our nation’s ability to adapt.
Sources
Awesome job, Matthew. I was reading the deepfake blog post and they discussed how a country used deepfake to manipulate Donald Trump. I think that is a great example of how countries will use AI to spread disinformation across the world.
I believe that AI regulation at the government level is going to be very crucial in the future. The NSCAI’s importance is extremely important in regulating what goes on within the US. On the other hand what happens in other countries such as China will be even more alarming as developments could get out of control and lead to many different sorts of issues.
Yes, I agree that its importance is extremely important. But it’s also important to realize the importance of the government’s role in actually implementing AI regulation that does not slow down technological innovation. More importantly, it is important to consider that China’s government understands the importance of AI more than our politicians do.
It is weird to think how far our military has come just in the past 100 years. From trenches and the creation of tanks to drones and guides air strikes from forever away seem like a pretty big jump. The adoption and correct usage of AI will change war I’m sure like it has every other thing it has touched. I wouldn’t say I’m excited to see where it goes obviously because violence isn’t good. But, it will be interesting and hopefully can strengthen the United States defenses both on the web and on the ground with integrated technology for our soldiers.
Wow, like you, I was suprised to hear that the NSCAI and other high level officials critic the government’s advancement of artificial intelligence. I think back to some of our guests speakers, many of whom have mentioned how important the mindset on innovation and failing is to real advancement. With such new technology, the concepts of deepfakes and misinformation is scarier than ever. It is also frightening to know that China is infiltrating the U.S.. I wonder to what lengths they are going to ensure their technological superiority.
Hi Matthew! This post did a really good job with showing the different aspects of how AI started becoming relevant to the government to then the creation of the NSCAI. I thought it was nice to understand the backgrounds of the committee members and some of their experiences, and think about how that can contribute to decision making of what AI to use and also creating new forms of technology. It’ll be interesting to see how this ends up changing technology for security and how the systems that are already in place will change. Great post!
Nice post, Matthew! It will be interesting to see how this situation develops in the upcoming years. I think a crucial detail in your post was the quote from the high-level worker in the Pentagon saying it will be difficult to compete with China in terms of technology in weapons/military. I was a little surprised to read that the NCSAI is not a big advocate of the development of AI, but, like I said, I will be interested in keeping up with this situation in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post!