AI & Autonomy
How to do autonomous flight right
Too many companies are trying to take shortcuts. The Pentagon needs to push back.
New AI-powered strike drone shows how quickly battlefield autonomy is evolving
First-person drone piloting is yesterday’s news. Drones are becoming smarter as the electronic environment around them makes operator communication more difficult.
Is ‘Big AI’ beating 'small AI'—and what does it mean for the military?
Efforts to build giant, power-hungry models may be squeezing out the kind of computing-at-the-edge projects the military actually needs.
Officials tout AI-powered sub-hunting as AUKUS defense chiefs converge
Austin is in London to review progress and plan next steps.
China's satellites are dodging US eyes in space
The Pentagon doesn't post location data for its secretive GSSAP satellites, but Chinese spacecraft are maneuvering to avoid their gaze.
Dueling robot wingmen take the stage
Questions of survivability, missions, and sustainment of CCAs still linger.
China claims breakthroughs in autonomous vehicles
If Chinese companies succeed in solidifying their dominance of the autonomous vehicle and LiDAR markets, the security implications are profound.
NGA deepens push into AI with country’s largest data-labeling effort
Intel agency’s chief also denied claims that his organization moves too slowly.
Special operators hope AI can reduce civilian deaths in combat
Automation could eventually turn “trigger-pullers into the experts that can do this,” one official said.
INDOPACOM wants more special operators in the Pacific
“SOF’s greatest power is early leverage” in deterring conflict, Adm. Sam Paparo said.
Two programs suggest the Pentagon is getting better at buying technology
The Maven and Collaborative Combat Aircraft efforts display real steps forward, a pair of reports say.
Tomorrow’s soldiers may breach minefields with robots made from decades-old APCs
On Thursday, the Army test-fired a Mine Clearing Line Charge from a specially rigged M113 personnel carrier.
More than 7,000 NSA analysts are using generative AI tools, director says
The signals-intelligence agency has about 170 AI-related projects in the works, including 10 of the highest priority.
Five firms—don’t ask who—will vie to make brains for USAF robot wingmen
The Air Force, which is keeping the names under wraps, will pick a winner in time for 2026 production.
Senators seek to advance AI capabilities at national labs
Proposed legislation looks to give the U.S. national laboratories a strong artificial intelligence infrastructure while acknowledging associated risks.
Trump pledges to ax Biden’s AI-safety order
The newly adopted Republican platform says the executive order "hinders AI Innovation."
The US intelligence community is embracing generative AI
Intelligence agencies are using generative AI for a variety of purposes, including content triage and assisting analysts.
Featured eBooks
Homeland Security tests AI waters with tools for intel analysts
The pilot program is starting with unclassified data.
Army to seek industry help on AI
"We're not gonna develop our algorithms better than y’all,” a service acquisition leader told an industry conference.
A key Pentagon data-analysis tool is getting ease-of-use upgrades
The Advana platform is being rebuilt to handle data differently.
