Tag: Artificial Intelligence

Oxygen on Mars? A Chinese robot could search for the optimal production method on the red planet completely autonomously. Artificial intelligence should help with this.

Lots of carbon dioxide, a little water, solar energy and lots of rock – the conditions on Mars are not ideal. From a human perspective, oxygen is the main thing that is lacking. So how can oxygen be produced as efficiently as possible on the red planet ?

With artificial intelligence, says a Chinese research group. They have presented a robot in the journal “Nature Synthesis”. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the robot could work in a small laboratory on Mars in the future: It should find the perfect method to produce oxygen completely autonomously. Due to the great distance to Mars, the robot cannot be controlled in real time, but thanks to artificial intelligence, the robot could not only work completely independently, but also get better and better – that is the plan of the research team.

Robot searches for the perfect catalyst

To produce oxygen, the robot needs water above all. There is now increasing evidence that there are large amounts of water beneath the surface of Mars . Oxygen can be extracted from the water – using electricity from solar systems and with the perfect catalyst that makes the necessary chemical reaction possible .

This is where the robot with artificial intelligence comes into play. It is designed to produce the best catalyst from the Martian rock so that oxygen can be produced from the water. It is a so-called electro catalystthat is designed to use solar energy to initiate oxygen production.

In the search for the best catalyst, the robot mixes rock samples in different ways and uses them to develop new catalysts, which are then tested directly. How much oxygen is currently being produced? How can even more oxygen be produced? Using artificial intelligence, the robot nest the results and draws up new predictions and plans for new catalysts. Thanks to AI,it is constantly getting better.

First tests with Mars rock successful

The robot has now completed its first tests on Earth -including with real Martian rock that fell to Earth millions of years ago in the form of meteorites. The robot was given five different types of rock to test. Theoretically, this creates over 3.7 million possibilities for producing a catalyst.

A robot without artificial intelligence would need over 2,000 years to test all of them. But thanks to artificial intelligence, the robot does not have to go through all the possibilities and can find the perfect catalyst for oxygen production within weeks.

The Chinese research team has so far only experimented with robots in the laboratory. The robot and especially the small chemical laboratory still need to be developed for work on Mars. The experiments on Earth took place at minus 37 degrees to simulate the cold temperatures on Mars.In addition, even in the laboratory, the robot had to take into account that much less solar energy is available for the chemical reaction on Mars than on Earth.

NASA is already producing oxygen from carbon dioxide

The Chinese research team describes the experiment as a first proof of concept and wants to demonstrate new possibilities for producing oxygen. NASA currently has other plans. The US space agency is trying to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide using a pre-programmed robot.

95 percent of the carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. The water, on the other hand, has to be extracted from the Martian soil at great expense. NASA already managed to produce oxygen with the Mars roverPerseverance in June 2023. The Moxie instrument produced 12 grams of oxygen within an hour during the test in June. NASA is now working on a larger instrument. artificial intelligence AI

The robot chemist spent six weeks working on Mars samples without any human intervention, creating 243 different molecules.

The robot chemist has produced compounds that have the potential to produce oxygen from water. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the robot analyzed Mars meteorites, as reported by space.com. Researchers believe this discovery will be beneficial for future human missions to Mars, where oxygen will be necessary for breathing and as rocket propellant, as further described in the report. Extracting oxygen from materials on Mars will eliminate the need to transport oxygen-producing materials from Earth.

The findings of the experiment have been detailed in the journal Nature Synthesis.

The scientists were inspired by the recent identification of substantial reserves of frozen water ice on the Martian surface.

The compounds generated by the robot chemist, known as catalysts, can initiate chemical reactions to separate water molecules and produce oxygen and hydrogen gas, according to space.com.

The meteorites from Mars on which the experiment was conducted were rocks that landed on Earth after being ejected from the Red Planet due to cosmic impacts.

After using a laser to scan the rocks, the AI-controlled robot identified over 3.7 million molecules that could be created from six different metallic elements in the rocks: iron, nickel, manganese, magnesium, aluminum, and calcium.

The robot chemist worked on the samples for six weeks without any human intervention and produced 243 different molecules. The most effective one it analyzed could separate water at -37 degrees Celsius, a temperature characteristic of Mars.

Jun Jiang, co-senior author of the study and a scientist at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, told Space.com, “When I was young, I had dreams of interstellar exploration.”

A robot chemist has generated compounds that may be used to produce oxygen from water. The robot, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), examined meteorites from Mars, according to a report from space.com. Researchers believe this discovery will be beneficial for future human missions to Mars, where oxygen will be necessary for breathing and as rocket propellant, as described in the report. Extracting oxygen from materials on Mars will eliminate the need to transport oxygen-producing materials from Earth.

A study detailing the experiment has been published in the journal Nature Synthesis.

The scientists were inspired by the recent identification of substantial reserves of frozen water ice on the Martian surface.

The compounds generated by the robot chemist, known as catalysts, can initiate chemical reactions to separate water molecules and produce oxygen and hydrogen gas, according to space.com.

The meteorites from Mars on which the experiment was conducted were rocks that landed on Earth after being ejected from the Red Planet due to cosmic impacts.

After using a laser to scan the rocks, the AI-controlled robot identified over 3.7 million molecules that could be created from six different metallic elements in the rocks: iron, nickel, manganese, magnesium, aluminum, and calcium.

The robot chemist worked on the samples for six weeks without any human intervention and produced 243 different molecules. The most effective one it analyzed could separate water at -37 degrees Celsius, a temperature characteristic of Mars.

Jun Jiang, co-senior author of the study and a scientist at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, told Space.com, “When I was young, I had dreams of interstellar exploration.”

“So when we finally saw that the catalysts made by the robot could actually produce oxygen by splitting water molecules, I felt like my dream was coming true. I even started to imagine that I, myself, will live on Mars in the future,” the scientists added.

According to scientists, identifying the best catalyst using conventional methods would have taken a human scientist 2,000 years.

One of the most significant hurdles to human interstellar travel is the inability to breathe in the depths of space. Oxygen is vital for life and is not as readily available as on Earth. With space agencies and researchers eyeing Mars exploration, the ability to generate oxygen for extended journeys is essential. Scientists have speculated about life on the red planet and also view it as a potential secondary planet for human habitation.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei have published a study about a robot chemist powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The robot’s objective is to extract water from Mars and convert it into oxygen.

According to one of the lead researchers, Jun Jiang, “We have developed a robotic AI system with a chemistry brain. We believe our machine can utilize compounds in Martian ores without human intervention.”

Creating oxygen on Mars is a significant challenge because it requires using only the resources available on the planet. A robot on Mars transforms meteorites into breathable air. Oxygen is a crucial starting point for this technology.

The research, published in Nature Synthesis, explains that a machine-learning model, utilizing both first-principles data and experimental measurements, can quickly and automatically identify the best catalyst formula from over three million possible compositions.

The study indicates that the robot chemist resolves two key challenges: the need for an unmanned synthesis system and the capability to identify the materials it is working with. AI robots are being explored as the preferred technology to address the Mars-oxygen problem.

Michael Hecht, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory, was involved in the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE). He notes that the robot was able to produce small amounts of oxygen in the predominantly carbon dioxide Martian atmosphere during a 2021 mission. Although the current output is minimal, there is potential for augmentation.

An autonomous robotic chemist in a lab has developed an oxygen-producing catalyst from minerals found in Martian meteorites. This process could potentially provide oxygen for astronauts on Mars in the future.

Transporting supplies to a future Martian colony via spacecraft would be highly costly, making the utilization of Mars’s natural resources an attractive option. However, this can be challenging due to the limited elements available on Mars compared to Earth.

Yi Luo and colleagues at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei have created a fully automated robot chemist. The machine used a high-powered laser to analyze the chemical composition of five Martian meteorites and identified six elements in notable quantities: iron, nickel, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, and manganese.

“On Earth, we don’t use these six elements because we have more choice,” says Luo. “These six elements are not the best for this kind of catalyst and it limits its performance, but it’s what you’ve got on Mars.”

There are over 3.7 million different combinations of Martian elements, which would take over 2000 years to test manually if each round of testing took around 5 hours, according to Luo.

Instead of testing every combination, the robot utilizes artificial intelligence to predict the best catalyst combination for oxygen production. It then tested over 200 catalysts, utilizing a briny solution and carbon dioxide as the raw materials.

The robot ultimately identified a catalyst comparable to the best available catalysts on Earth from a decade ago, according to Luo. This catalyst can function at −37°C (−35°F), similar to temperatures on Mars, for over six days continuously. Luo and the team calculated that a 3-metre high, 100-square-metre room on Mars equipped with this catalyst on its ceiling could produce oxygen levels comparable to those on Earth in about 15 hours.

“Getting [the robot] to work is a significant achievement, as it requires getting numerous components to function together,” states Ross King from the University of Cambridge. While it might be easier to design materials on Earth and transport them to Mars in certain cases, autonomous robot chemists could be crucial for exploring farther into the solar system, where communication is more challenging.

Researchers hope that a scaled-up version could one day produce enough oxygen to sustain humans on Mars.

A lunchbox-sized instrument succeeded in producing breathable oxygen on Mars, performing the function of a small tree.

Since last February, the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) has been effectively creating oxygen from the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere of the red planet.

Research suggests that an expanded version of MOXIE could be dispatched to Mars to continuously generate oxygen at a rate equivalent to several hundred trees, ahead of human visits to the planet.

MOXIE was part of Nasa’s Perseverance rover mission, landing on the Martian surface.

According to a study, by the end of 2021, MOXIE was able to produce oxygen in seven experimental runs, under different atmospheric conditions, including day and night, and across various Martian seasons.

In each run, it achieved the goal of producing 6g of oxygen per hour – a rate similar to a modest tree on Earth.

The system is envisioned to have the capacity to generate enough oxygen to sustain humans once they reach Mars and to fuel a rocket for the return journey to Earth.

Moxie’s deputy principal investigator, Jeffrey Hoffman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, stated: “This is the initial demonstration of utilizing resources on the surface of another planetary body and altering them chemically to produce something useful for a human mission.”

The current model of the device is intentionally small to fit on the Perseverance rover and operates for brief periods. A full-scale oxygen production facility would feature larger units designed to operate continuously.

Moxie has proven its ability to produce oxygen at various times during the Martian day and year. Michael Hecht, the principal investigator of the Moxie mission at MIT’s Haystack Observatory, commented: “The only remaining step is to demonstrate its operation at dawn or dusk, when temperatures change significantly. We have a solution that will enable us to achieve this, and once tested in the lab, we can reach that final milestone.”

If the system can function effectively despite frequent on and off cycles, it suggests that a full-scale system designed for continuous operation could function for thousands of hours.

Hoffman noted: “To support a human mission to Mars, we have to bring a lot of stuff from Earth, such as computers, spacesuits, and habitats. But producing oxygen on-site? If it’s feasible, then go for it – you’re way ahead of the game.”

The initial experiment to produce oxygen on another planet has concluded on Mars, surpassing NASA’s original objectives and demonstrating capabilities that could benefit future astronaut missions.

The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), a microwave-sized device, is located on the Perseverance rover. The experiment began over two years ago, a few months after the rover landed on Mars. Since then, MOXIE has generated 122 grams of oxygen, equivalent to the amount a small dog breathes in 10 hours, according to NASA. The instrument converts some of Mars’ abundant carbon dioxide into oxygen.

During its peak efficiency, MOXIE produced 12 grams of oxygen per hour at 98% purity or higher, doubling NASA’s goals for the instrument. On August 7, MOXIE completed its 16th and final run, fulfilling all its requirements.

“We are delighted to have supported a breakthrough technology like MOXIE that could convert local resources into useful products for future exploration missions,” said Trudy Kortes, director of technology demonstrations at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “By validating this technology in real-world conditions, we have moved one step closer to a future where astronauts can ‘live off the land’ on the Red Planet.”

Implications of MOXIE

The Martian atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide, which is not suitable for oxygen-breathing humans. MOXIE functions by splitting up carbon dioxide molecules, containing one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, separating the oxygen molecules and emitting carbon monoxide as a byproduct. The instrument’s system analyzes the purity and quantity of the oxygen as the gases pass through it.

The device was constructed using heat-tolerant materials, such as a coat of gold and aerogel, as the conversion process necessitates temperatures of up to 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit (798 degrees Celsius). These materials prevented heat from dissipating and damaging any part of the rover.

An efficient carbon dioxide to oxygen conversion system could have various benefits. Enhanced versions of devices like MOXIE in the future could supply breathable air for life support systems and convert and store oxygen required for rocket fuel for a return trip to Earth.

“MOXIE’s impressive performance proves that extracting oxygen from Mars’ atmosphere is feasible, oxygen that could help provide breathable air or rocket propellant for future astronauts,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Developing technologies to utilize resources on the Moon and Mars is crucial for establishing a long-term lunar presence, creating a robust lunar economy, and enabling the initial human exploration campaign to Mars.”

Transporting thousands of pounds of rocket propellant and oxygen from Earth to Mars on the initial trip would be immensely challenging and expensive, leaving less room for other necessities on the spacecraft. Technologies like MOXIE could enable astronauts to live off the land and harness local resources.

Lessons from the small MOXIE experiment can now be applied to develop a full-scale system that incorporates an oxygen generator capable of liquefying and storing the oxygen. The next major step is to test other technologies on Mars that could further exploration, such as tools and habitat materials.

“We need to prioritize which technologies to validate on Mars,” stated Michael Hecht, principal investigator of MOXIE at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Many technologies are on the validation list, and I’m glad that MOXIE was the first.”

Despite the seeming distance, efforts have recently intensified to prepare for human habitation on Mars, including training for astronauts and settlers, as well as the development of new technologies to support them during their mission. The unveiling of an AI-powered “robot chemist” by a group of researchers in China this week brings us closer to establishing this support system.

To provide some context about Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered evidence in October suggesting that Mars was once a “planet of rivers” with flowing water that might have supported life. Furthermore, the presence of solid water, or ice, on the planet’s surface has been known for some time, particularly in polar ice caps and Martian soil. In 2022, Cambridge University presented evidence suggesting the existence of liquid water beneath the ice caps.

The significance of water on Mars is due in part to its oxygen content, which is scarce in the Martian atmosphere, posing a challenge for future habitation. As a result, extracting oxygen is likely necessary for the survival of astronauts and space settlers on the planet. This is where a team of scientists, led by Jun Jiang at Hefei’s University of Science and Technology of China, comes into play.

The team emphasizes in their recent study, published in Nature Synthesis, that “Oxygen supply must be the top priority for any human activity on Mars, because rocket propellants and life support systems consume substantial amounts of oxygen.” However, continuously ferrying oxygen tanks or extraction tools to and from Mars is impractical and expensive, necessitating in-situ oxygen extraction. The team claims to have found a solution involving Martian meteorites, an innovative robot, and AI.

According to the study, the team developed a robot capable of using materials found on Mars to create catalysts that facilitate the breakdown of water, releasing oxygen in the process, and capturing it for various uses. The system is designed to operate autonomously, without human intervention.

“We have created a robotic AI system with a chemistry brain,” comments Jiang to Nature. “We believe that our machine can utilize compounds in Martian ores without human guidance.” With its machine-learning model “brain” and robotic arm, the system is purportedly able to produce nearly 60 grams of oxygen per hour for every square meter of Martian material. Although this may seem modest, Jiang emphasizes that “The robot can work continuously for years.”

The researchers substantiated their claims by using the robot to process meteorites originating from Mars, or that simulated the planet’s surface, demonstrating its ability to independently carry out several steps, such as dissolving, separating, and analyzing the material. Additionally, the robot searched more than 3.7 million formulae to identify a chemical that could break down water, a task estimated to take a human researcher around 2,000 years.

This does not necessarily imply that simpler methods of synthesizing oxygen on Mars will not be developed before human habitation. NASA’s MOXIE, for example, demonstrated a method of extracting oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, which is primarily carbon dioxide. Although MOXIE’s oxygen production has been limited so far, it is believed that with a more powerful power source, it could efficiently produce enough oxygen to support a human settlement.

Regardless of future developments, Jiang’s robot chemist has broader applications than just oxygen production. The AI has the potential to learn and produce various useful catalysts, creating a range of beneficial chemicals from Martian materials, such as fertilizers. Moreover, it could transfer its knowledge and applications to other celestial bodies, including the moon and beyond.

NASA has achieved another milestone in its latest Mars mission by successfully converting carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into pure, breathable oxygen, as announced by the US space agency on Wednesday.

This remarkable feat, conducted by an experimental device named MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) aboard the Perseverance rover, took place on Tuesday. This toaster-sized instrument produced approximately 5 grams of oxygen in its initial activation, equivalent to roughly 10 minutes’ worth of breathing for an astronaut, according to NASA.

Though the initial outcome was unimpressive, the accomplishment signified the first experimental extraction of a natural resource from another planet’s environment for direct human use.

“MOXIE isn’t simply the first tool to create oxygen on a different world,” remarked Trudy Kortes, head of technology demonstrations at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. She characterized it as the first technology of its kind to support future missions in “living off the land” of another planet.

The device operates using electrolysis, a process that utilizes high temperatures to separate oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which make up about 95% of Mars’ atmosphere.

The remaining 5% of Mars’ atmosphere, which is only about 1% as dense as Earth’s, consists mainly of molecular nitrogen and argon. Oxygen is present in negligible trace amounts on Mars.

However, an ample supply is considered crucial for eventual human exploration of the Red Planet, serving as a sustainable source of breathable air for astronauts and as a necessary component for rocket fuel to transport them back home.

The quantities needed for launching rockets from Mars are especially challenging.

According to NASA, launching four astronauts from the Martian surface would require around 15,000 pounds (7 metric tons) of rocket fuel, combined with 55,000 pounds (25 metric tons) of oxygen.

Bringing a one-ton oxygen-conversion device to Mars is more feasible than attempting to transport 25 tons of oxygen in tanks from Earth, as mentioned by MOXIE principal investigator Michael Hecht of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in NASA’s press release.

Astronauts living and working on Mars might collectively require approximately one metric ton of oxygen to last an entire year, remarked Hecht.

MOXIE is designed to produce up to 10 grams per hour as a proof of concept, and scientists plan to operate the machine at least nine more times over the next two years under varying conditions and speeds, as stated by NASA.

The first oxygen conversion run occurred a day after NASA accomplished the historic first controlled powered flight of an aircraft on another planet with the successful takeoff and landing of a small robotic helicopter on Mars.

Similar to MOXIE, the twin-rotor helicopter named Ingenuity hitched a ride to Mars with Perseverance, whose primary mission is to search for evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars.

On Mars’ red and dusty surface, an instrument the size of a lunchbox is demonstrating its ability to reliably replicate the functions of a small tree.

The MIT-led Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE, has been effectively generating oxygen from the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere of the Red Planet since April 2021, approximately two months after its arrival on the Martian surface as part of NASA’s Perseverance rover and Mars 2020 mission.

In a study released today in the journal Science Advances, researchers disclose that, by the end of 2021, MOXIE managed to produce oxygen in seven experimental runs, in various atmospheric conditions, including during the day and night, and across different Martian seasons. During each run, the instrument achieved its target of generating six grams of oxygen per hour—a rate similar to that of a modest tree on Earth.

Researchers envision that an enlarged version of MOXIE could be dispatched to Mars before a human mission to continuously generate oxygen at a rate equivalent to several hundred trees. At this capacity, the system should produce enough oxygen to sustain humans upon their arrival and fuel a rocket for returning astronauts to Earth.

Thus far, MOXIE’s consistent output is a promising initial step toward that objective.

“We have gained a wealth of knowledge that will guide future systems on a larger scale,” remarked Michael Hecht, principal investigator of the MOXIE mission at MIT’s Haystack Observatory.

MOXIE’s oxygen production on Mars also signifies the first demonstration of “in-situ resource utilization,” the concept of harvesting and using the materials of a planet (in this case, carbon dioxide on Mars) to generate resources (such as oxygen) that would otherwise need to be transported from Earth.

“This is the initial demonstration of actually utilizing resources on the surface of another planetary body and chemically transforming them into something beneficial for a human mission,” noted MOXIE deputy principal investigator Jeffrey Hoffman, a professor in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “In that sense, it’s a historic achievement.”

MIT co-authors of Hoffman and Hecht’s, including MOXIE team members Jason SooHoo, Andrew Liu, Eric Hinterman, Maya Nasr, Shravan Hariharan, Kyle Horn, and Parker Steen, as well as collaborators from various institutions, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which oversaw MOXIE’s development, flight software, packaging, and pre-launch testing, also contributed to the study.

The current MOXIE version is intentionally small to fit on the Perseverance rover and is designed to operate for short periods based on the rover’s exploration schedule and mission responsibilities. In contrast, a full-scale oxygen factory would consist of larger units running continuously.

Despite the necessary design compromises, MOXIE has demonstrated its ability to efficiently convert Mars’ atmosphere into pure oxygen reliably. It begins by filtering Martian air to remove contaminants, pressurizing the air, and then passing it through the Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (SOXE), an instrument developed and built by OxEon Energy. The SOXE electrochemically splits the carbon dioxide-rich air into oxygen ions and carbon monoxide.

The oxygen ions are isolated and recombined to form breathable molecular oxygen (O2), which MOXIE measures for quantity and purity before releasing it back into the air along with carbon monoxide and other atmospheric gases.

Since its landing in February 2021, the MOXIE engineers have activated the instrument seven times throughout the Martian year. Each activation took a few hours to warm up, followed by an hour to produce oxygen before being powered down. The activations were scheduled for different times of the day or night and in different seasons to test MOXIE’s adaptability to the planet’s atmospheric conditions.

Mars’ atmosphere is more variable than Earth’s, with air density varying by a factor of two and temperatures fluctuating by 100 degrees throughout the year. The objective is to demonstrate that MOXIE can operate in all seasons.

So far, MOXIE has proven its ability to produce oxygen at almost any time of the Martian day and year.

The only untested scenario is running at dawn or dusk when the temperature changes significantly. The team is confident that they have a solution and once tested in the lab, they can demonstrate the ability to run MOXIE at any time.

Looking ahead, as MOXIE continues to produce oxygen on Mars, the engineers plan to increase its production capacity, especially in the Martian spring when atmospheric density and carbon dioxide levels are high.

The upcoming run will take place during the highest atmospheric density of the year, aiming to produce as much oxygen as possible. The system will be set to run at maximum levels, pushing its limits while monitoring for signs of wear and tear. As MOXIE is only one of several experiments on the Perseverance rover and cannot run continuously, successful intermittent operation could indicate its potential for continuous operation in a full-scale system.

To support a human mission to Mars, it is crucial to produce oxygen on-site, as the transportation of oxygen from Earth is not practical, unlike other essentials such as computers, spacesuits, and habitats. Therefore, the successful operation of MOXIE is a significant step forward in this endeavor.

NASA designed a device called MOXIE to produce oxygen from the carbon dioxide found in the Martian atmosphere. This instrument works using a process known as electrolysis, which uses high heat to separate oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules.

Carbon dioxide makes up about 95 percent of the Martian atmosphere, with the remaining portion mainly composed of molecular nitrogen and argon. Only 0.16 percent of the Martian atmosphere consists of molecular oxygen.

For future exploration and potential human habitation of Mars, a substantial oxygen supply is necessary for breathing and producing rocket fuel for launches from the Martian surface. NASA funded the MOXIE experiment, developed by a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and carried to Mars onboard the Perseverance rover.

MOXIE successfully converted carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into oxygen during its first test in April 2021, producing 5.4 grams of oxygen in one hour. Subsequent experiments were conducted to assess the system’s effectiveness.

Earlier this month, organizers of the test project announced that MOXIE had finished its 16th and final experiment. They highlighted the device’s “impressive performance” as proof that extracting oxygen from the Martian atmosphere is feasible. This oxygen could potentially be used to provide breathable air or rocket propellant for future astronauts, the statement explained.

According to NASA, MOXIE has generated a total of 122 grams of oxygen since Perseverance landed on Mars, equivalent to what a small dog would breathe in 10 hours. Although the oxygen amount is small, it signifies the first experimental extraction of a natural resource from another planet’s environment.

When operating at peak efficiency, the instrument was capable of producing 12 grams of oxygen per hour, twice the initial estimate by NASA engineers.

The MOXIE team has also been evaluating the oxygen purity produced by the device, reporting that it was consistently over 98% pure.

The latest Mars experiments with MOXIE are aiming at helping NASA develop a significantly larger version of the system, which could potentially be deployed on Mars in the future.

According to NASA’s description of the instrument, the objective of a larger MOXIE would be to generate and store all the oxygen needed for astronauts and their rocket before they embark on their mission. The space agency noted that such a system would need to produce between 2,000 to 3,000 grams of oxygen per hour.

Trudy Kortes, the director of technology demonstrations at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, expressed the agency’s satisfaction in supporting such a technology, stating, “By demonstrating this technology in real-world conditions, we’ve moved one step closer to a future where astronauts can ‘live off the land’ on the Red Planet.”

MIT’s Michael Hecht, who leads the MOXIE development effort, mentioned in a statement that the team’s next focus will be on developing the larger version of MOXIE. Additionally, scientists will need to devise equipment for liquefying and storing the produced oxygen.

Robots and artificial intelligence are becoming an integral part of our daily experiences. They are involved in creating new medicines, answering queries (though sometimes inaccurately), and acting as personal digital assistants. Given sufficient time, they may permeate every aspect of our lives, from emotional understanding to space exploration. Just consult M3GAN, a cutting-edge Model 3 generative android created to be your closest companion.

M3GAN’s debut performance ended in chaos, which perhaps explains why the latest AI-driven robot from real-world laboratories is aimed at Mars. Recently, a research team led by Jun Jiang at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei unveiled an AI-equipped robot capable of generating oxygen from Martian materials. The findings from this mechanical chemist were published in the journal Nature Synthesis.

Discovering How to Create Oxygen from Martian Soil

As we advance to the next stage of human space exploration, there is significant emphasis on utilizing local materials at our destinations. Anything we can find or produce on the Moon, Mars, or any other celestial body is an asset we don’t need to launch from Earth’s gravity and haul with us. Among all resources, oxygen is crucial.

The robotic, AI-driven chemist resembles a large box, akin to a refrigerator positioned on its side. A robotic arm extends from one side, enabling the robot to handle various materials. Researchers provided the robot with five meteorites that originated from Mars or had compositions similar to Martian surface rocks, then allowed the robot to operate independently.

The robot employed acid and alkali to decompose the Martian ore and assess its components. After determining what resources were available, it examined 3.7 million potential combinations to identify a catalyst that would facilitate an oxygen-evolution reaction, releasing oxygen from water. Notably, it managed the entire process—preparing Martian materials, synthesizing the catalyst, characterizing it, conducting tests, and seeking the optimal formula—without any human intervention.

The team projected that the robot could generate 60 grams of oxygen per hour from a single square meter of Martian soil. Of course, this isn’t the sole experiment aimed at producing oxygen on Mars; NASA’s Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) aboard the Perseverance rover has already succeeded in producing oxygen from Martian air on the planet. Nonetheless, when venturing off Earth, having multiple tools for oxygen production is invaluable.

Additionally, the same robotic chemist system that successfully unveiled the method for extracting oxygen from Martian soil could potentially create various catalysts and compounds. The system’s strength lies not merely in its oxygen production ability but rather in its capacity to explore pathways toward any target compound using available materials. Provided, of course, that a viable chemical pathway exists.

It’s comparable to asking a skilled chef to prepare a pizza using random ingredients from your pantry and the back of your freezer. Mars lacks breathable oxygen, but it contains ample water ice at the poles and an almost unlimited supply of Martian rock elsewhere. As long as an AI-driven robotic chemist is available, those two ingredients are sufficient to produce all the breathable air we could need. We just hope that the robot doesn’t turn hostile when we require its help the most.

Mars and other planets present challenges for study due to their immense distance. But what if we could bring a piece of Mars to Earth, allowing scientists to analyze it without needing space suits? In a study published on Monday in Nature, researchers in China report the development of a “robotic artificial-intelligence chemist” that utilized machine learning to extract oxygen from Martian meteorites. The researchers aim to use their AI chemist bot to support a sustainable human presence on Mars.

Discovering signs of life on Mars or establishing our existence there has been one of humanity’s most cherished dreams for as long as we have recognized the existence of other planets. More conducive to life than the toxic smog of Venus, Mars appears to be the closest planet that could sustain life as we know it. But how could we—or any life—exist on Mars?

One hypothesis regarding the origin of life suggests that a single source may have “seeded” numerous planets with the templates from which living organisms could emerge. Evidence often cited in support of this idea includes lunar and Martian rocks that have reached Earth, propelled into space by volcanic eruptions or impact events.

These Martian rocks also represent an excellent opportunity to directly study the chemistry of the Red Planet without needing to travel there. This makes them highly valuable for research into in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), which proposes the use of materials from Mars (or other places) to establish a presence there rather than transporting everything from Earth. What better experimental ground than genuine rocks from Mars?

A project led by a multidisciplinary group of scientists in China aimed to create a middle ground for ISRU research: a self-sufficient research platform capable of functioning on Mars with minimal, if any, human oversight. They developed what they referred to in their paper as an “all-in-one robotic artificial-intelligence chemist,” which successfully generated oxygen from Martian meteorite samples as a proof of concept.

The vision is for the robot to collect Martian regolith samples and deduce solutions to specific problems using fundamental reasoning—without any human intervention. Place this device in a remote area of the Andes with no manual, and it could still identify which rocks would serve best as flint for igniting a fire. However, the amount of oxygen available on Mars is insufficient for combustion. Mars’ carbon dioxide atmosphere is only one percent of the pressure found in Earth’s breathable atmosphere at sea level. This makes extracting O2 from CO2 seem impractical. So, how and where would humans acquire the oxygen necessary for prolonged habitation on Mars?

Energy is limited and costly on Mars’ cold and arid surface. Nonetheless, Mars is rich in rusty, oxygen-bearing rocks. Recently, it has been discovered that, not too long ago, the Martian surface was unexpectedly wet. Water ice has been detected along the edges of craters and ravines on Mars. Therefore, the scientists considered the potential for a catalyst. However, the report indicates that from just five different Martian ores, over three million potential candidates emerged for a catalyst exhibiting two specific features: it must be made entirely from in-situ materials and must be effective at extracting oxygen from metal oxides in Martian meteorites, essentially “un-rusting” rust.

This is where AI plays a crucial role. Instead of employing trial and error, the team entrusted the research to the AI, which effectively identified the most promising candidates far quicker than humans could.

With the selected catalyst, the report describes a chemist-bot that utilized a low-power electrochemical bath, connected with pure silver and a platinum counter-electrode. By adding the meteorite samples to the saline electrolyte bath and activating the power, oxygen gas is released during the reaction, while metal ions accumulate, dissolved in the electrolyte. Once the oxygen has risen out of the solution, it becomes available to humans in its diatomic form.

The report does not clarify how well this process will scale. However, it suggests a future “workflow” that involves incorporating the de-oxidized metal samples into Nafion, a polymer adhesive, to create conductive circuits intended for purity testing or custom transistors printed on-site.

Even without the mention of AI and its related buzzwords (and the associated funding), the robot AI chemist is part of a commendable endeavor. Both public and private research institutions have announced significant advancements in ISRU within the last six months. During the summer, UK chemists accomplished the direct conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight, without the need to convert sunlight into electricity, showcasing a low-energy system. Furthermore, NASA’s recent ISRU experiments employed Earth-based analogs of regolith to serve as a substrate for creating “Marscrete” structures, as well as using a laser to convert actual regolith into carbon monoxide. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover also carried the MOXIE in-situ oxygen generation experiment, which successfully produced a proof-of-concept amount of oxygen on Mars’ surface.

Chinese researchers have successfully used an AI-driven robot to autonomously create optimal catalysts for generating oxygen on Mars.

According to a report from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), the robot synthesized and optimized catalysts aimed at facilitating oxygen evolution reactions on Mars using five distinct Martian meteorites.

Recent findings of water on Mars have opened up possibilities for large-scale oxygen generation from water molecules through solar power-driven electrochemical processes, utilizing catalysts for oxygen evolution reactions.

Researchers at USTC disclosed that the AI robot utilizes a machine-learning model to determine the best catalyst formula from over 3.76 million potential compositions sourced from various Martian minerals.

The robotic chemist, referencing 50,000 chemistry research papers, managed to complete the intricate catalyst optimization in less than two months—a feat that would take approximately 2,000 years for a human chemist.

Experiments carried out at minus 37 degrees Celsius, simulating Martian temperatures, confirmed that the catalyst can reliably produce oxygen without visible deterioration on the Martian terrain.

The study confirms that the AI chemist can develop new catalysts, which could lead to significant progress in oxygen generation, infrastructure building, and food production on other planets, as well as facilitate the production of additional chemicals from Martian resources.

“In the future, humans could set up an oxygen production facility on Mars with the support of the AI chemist,” stated Jiang Jun, the project’s lead researcher.

He noted that just 15 hours of solar exposure would be adequate to generate the oxygen levels required for human survival.

“This groundbreaking technology brings us closer to realizing our aspiration of living on Mars,” added the professor.

On Monday, Chinese scientists introduced an artificial atmospheric model of Mars known as “GoMars.” This model is intended for use in China’s future Mars exploration missions planned for around 2028.

In recent years, Beijing has significantly invested in its space program, achieving milestones such as the Chang’e 4 lunar probe, which successfully landed on the Moon’s far side in January 2019.

Using meteorites from Mars, an AI-equipped robotic chemist synthesized compounds that could facilitate oxygen generation from water.

Future crewed missions to Mars will require oxygen not only for astronauts’ respiration but also for use as rocket fuel. A crucial aspect of making these missions economically viable over time is utilizing resources available on the Red Planet to generate oxygen, rather than transporting it from Earth.

This approach is promising since Mars has substantial reserves of frozen water ice. As water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, scientists are exploring ways to extract the latter from these Martian water reserves. Specifically, catalysts can accelerate the chemical reactions that “split” water molecules to produce oxygen and hydrogen gas.

In a recent study, researchers utilized an AI chemist to develop some of those water-splitting catalysts, focusing on materials sourced from Mars. The team investigated five categories of Martian meteorites, which are rocks that have fallen to Earth after being ejected from the Red Planet by cosmic impacts.

The AI chemist employed a robotic arm to gather samples from the Martian meteorites and utilized a laser to scan the ore. It calculated over 3.7 million molecules that could be created using six different metallic elements present in the rocks—iron, nickel, manganese, magnesium, aluminum, and calcium.

In just six weeks, completely independently, the AI chemist chose, synthesized, and tested 243 different molecules. The most effective catalyst identified by the robot was able to split water at minus 34.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 37 degrees Celsius), the type of frigid temperature found on Mars.

“When I was a child, I dreamt of exploring the stars,” said Jun Jiang, co-senior author of the study and a scientist at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, in an interview with Space.com. “So when we finally realized that the catalysts produced by the robot were capable of producing oxygen by splitting water molecules, I felt as if my dreams were becoming a reality. I even started to envision myself living on Mars in the future.”

The researchers estimate it would have taken a human scientist roughly 2,000 years to discover that “best” catalyst using traditional trial-and-error methods. However, Jiang acknowledged that while these findings indicate that AI can be a valuable asset in scientific endeavors, it “still requires the oversight of human scientists. The robot AI chemist is effective only if we have taught it what to do.”

The scientists now plan to investigate whether their AI chemist can function under additional Martian conditions beyond temperature.

AI is rapidly evolving and impacting various aspects of contemporary life, but some specialists are concerned about its potential misuse and the impact on employment. AI is a technology that enables computers to imitate human actions and responses by processing large volumes of data to identify patterns, make predictions, solve problems, and learn from mistakes.

In addition to data, AI relies on algorithms, which are a sequence of rules that must be followed in order to carry out specific tasks. AI powers voice-based virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa and enables platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, and BBC iPlayer to suggest content. Furthermore, AI technology assists social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter in curating user content and supports companies like Amazon in analyzing consumer behavior to offer personalized recommendations and combat fake reviews.

Two popular AI-driven applications, ChatGPT and My AI Snapchat, are examples of “generative” AI. They utilize patterns and structures from extensive data sources to generate original content that simulates human creation. These apps are integrated with chatbots, allowing them to engage in text-based conversations, answer inquiries, weave narratives, and generate computer code. However, critics produce caution that these AI systems can erroneous responses and perpetuate biases present in the source material, such as gender and racial prejudices.

The absence of comprehensive regulations governing the use of AI has raised concerns about its rapid advancement. Some experts advocate for halting AI-related research, while others, including technology figureheads, emphasize the need for a rational discourse on AI’s capabilities. Notably, there are apprehensions regarding AI’s potential to propagate misinformation, influence societal decision-making, and even surpass human intelligence, leading to catastrophic consequences.

Governments worldwide are still grappling with the establishment of effective AI regulations. The European Parliament recently endorsed the European Union’s proposed Artificial Intelligence Act, which aims to impose strict legal guidelines for AI applications. The Act categorizes AI applications based on their potential risks to consumers, with varying levels of regulation.

Meanwhile, the UK has revealed its vision for AI’s governance, opting for oversight by a designated body rather than a dedicated regulator, while emphasizing the necessity for global cooperation in AI regulation. Additionally, China aims to mandate user notification of AI algorithm usage, reflecting the global discourse on AI governance.

AI has advanced to applications that can perform tasks previously requiring human intervention, such as customer interactions and gaming. While the term encompassing AI is often used interchangeably with subfields like machine learning and deep learning, it’s crucial to recognize the distinctions between these areas. For example, while all machine learning constitutes AI, not all AI incorporates machine learning. Many businesses are heavily investing in data science teams to fully harness AI’s potential. Data science integrates statistics, computer science, and business acumen to extract value from data.

Developers use AI to effectively perform tasks, interact with customers, recognize patterns, and solve problems. When beginning with AI, developers need to have a basic grasp of mathematics and be comfortable working with algorithms.

When starting an AI application development journey, it’s best to begin with a small project, like creating a simple application for a game such as tic-tac-toe. Practical learning can significantly improve any skill, including artificial intelligence. After successfully completing small projects , the potential for applying AI becomes limitless.

AI’s essence lies in emulating and exceeding human perception and response to the world. It is rapidly becoming the foundation of innovation. Fueled by various forms of machine learning that identify data patterns to enable predictions, AI can enhance business value by providing a deeper understanding of Abundant data and automating complex tasks.

AI technology improves enterprise performance and productivity by automating tasks that previously required human effort. It can also comprehend data on a scale beyond human capability, yielding substantial business benefits. For instance, machine learning has contributed to Netflix’s 25% customer base growth through personalized recommendations .

The adoption of AI is rising across various functions, businesses, and industries. It encompasses general and industry-specific applications, such as predicting customer spending based on transactional and demographic data, optimizing pricing according to customer behavior and preferences, and using image recognition to analyze medical images for potential illnesses.

According to the Harvard Business Review, enterprises primarily employ AI to identify and prevent security intrusions, address users’ technological issues, streamline production management, and oversee internal compliance with approved vendors.

The growth of AI across various industries is driven by three factors. Firstly, the accessibility of affordable, high-performance computing capability has significantly improved, mainly through cloud-based services. Secondly, abundant data is available for training AI models, made possible by Affordable storage, structured data processing, and data labeling. Finally, applying AI to business objectives is increasingly seen as a competitive advantage, leading to its prioritization and adoption across enterprises.

AI model training and development involves various stages, including training and inferencing. This process experimenting with machine learning models involves address specific problems, such as creating different AI models for computer vision tasks like object detection.

A few weeks back, I had lunch with a close friend who manages a rapidly growing real estate business with a $30 million annual revenue. While they primarily operate as a services business, he surprised me by discussing their extensive use of AI!

Their primary use case for AI is in customer service and support. With thousands of customers, they receive a substantial volume of messages ranging from support queries to feedback for improvement.

Initially, the company’s employees handled customer feedback. However, as the business grew, it became overwhelming. According to him, the critical challenge (and opportunity) was not just responding to people, but analyzing the feedback to gain actionable insights. This involved identifying themes for improvement or new features, services, or process enhancements.

Typically, such work is performed by a junior product manager. While not particularly challenging, historically, it required a human touch to interpret different comments (eg, “The food was sick!” and “The food was sickening!” represent two distinct types of feedback!)

AI came to the rescue. Instead of a human analyzing the data, he utilized AI for this task. He provided all the feedback and asked the AI ​​to summarize, categorize, and recommend improvements and actions to take. This process took just a few minutes and was part of a twenty-dollar-a-month AI subscription!

Significantly, he found that Claude outperformed ChatGPT. The version of ChatGPT he used was a bit too “lazy”, often summarizing instead of categorizing everything, whereas Claude was more diligent in categorizing. Of course, this is a moment in time—OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, and others are continuously improving. Achieving the right balance between conciseness and accuracy versus wordiness and creating imaginary content has been a challenge for these AI platform vendors.

He also verified the AI ​​results manually. Surprisingly, Claude’s results were actually superior to those done by an individual human.
Now, he is relying solely on AI to process the feedback, rather than hiring additional staff.

Another job lost to AI.
How many more jobs are in danger?

I suspect the actual impact will be even greater.

For any of my readers in a corporate or government position, consider how effective (or ineffective) your company is today—even without AI! Do you have any coworkers that leave you wondering, “What do they actually do?”

Having experience in both large companies and personally over the years, I have observed how inefficient organizations can be.

Bureaucracy leads to more bureaucracy!

Some companies have managed to combat encroaching bureaucracy. The changes made by Elon Musk at Twitter since he acquired it are remarkable. Set aside the political and media debate he has attracted and look at it from a business standpoint. He has now reduced the staff by around 80%, yet from an external standpoint, the company is thriving. New features are consistently being introduced (eg, subscriptions), and the service is still operational despite many critics predicting a complete collapse.

I delved deeper into the changes at Twitter last year on ThoughtfulBits. However, for this analysis, simply recognizing that inefficiencies exist in many organizations is sufficient.

At some point, at least one company in any industry will find out how to utilize AI technologies to eliminate or minimize those inefficiencies, providing them with a significant competitive advantage over traditional companies that don’t innovate.

So, is this the end? Will we see 30% or more unemployment in the upcoming years?

My personal prediction is no.

I make that prediction based on history. AI is not the first technological revolution the world has seen: farming, the industrial revolution, and the computer revolution, among others, have each dramatically transformed the job market.

In 1850, about 60% of the US population was involved in agriculture. Now, that figure is 3%. Historically speaking, food is now abundant and inexpensive. Although challenges regarding global poverty and hunger still exist, as a society, we have made tremendous advancements in food production while requiring far fewer individuals.

What happened to all of those farming jobs? They are now computer programmers and Instagram influencers. The idea that an Instagram influencer could be a legitimate profession was unimaginable in 1850 and controversial even thirty years ago! There are now millions of individuals working as influencers in an industry generating over $21 billion in revenue.

The World Economic Forum has some fascinating data on this shift over time.

I anticipate we’ll witness a similar shift as AI begins to take over entire job categories, particularly lower-level knowledge worker positions, as noted by McKinsey.

The Experienced Worker

The crucial question is: “What will these new jobs be?”
To answer that, let’s take a first principles approach: What remains constant in the world, even with AI?
Well, the first answer is people!! And everything people need to be happy fulfilled humans.

Even with AI, people will still need a place to live. They will still want to eat, go on dates, have families, play sports, learn, be entertained, socialize with friends, and so on. These are fundamental human and societal needs. While the context may be different, all those things were true in ancient Roman and Greek times, just as they are now. The Olympics originated in ancient Greece, after all!

With the rise of computers, we witnessed the emergence of the modern “knowledge worker” class—think of everyone working at an office for some company (as opposed to a factory or farm). These jobs, whether in digital marketing analysis or software programming and similar fields, emerged due to the computer revolution.

I expect we’ll see analogous “AI-focused” jobs. In fact, today, there is a new job category known as prompt engineering. Prompt engineering is for technical individuals focused on customizing AI technologies for specific use cases.

As a simple example, consider the questions you might ask ChatGPT—the better you frame the question, the better the results. This forms the core of prompt engineering. However, given how rapidly AI is evolving, it’s unclear how enduring the prompt engineering job might be.

Likewise, there will be numerous “AI consultants” in the upcoming years to assist individuals and organizations in transitioning to AI technologies, similar to the multitude of local “PC repair” shops in the 90s. But as people became more familiar with computers and the machines themselves became more reliable, those PC repair shops faded away.

Prompt engineers, AI consultants, and similar roles will proliferate for a period, but what jobs will be more steadfast and enduring in the post-AI era?
Returning to first principles, what is the common thread among most of those universal and timeless activities?

It’s about people interacting with other people.

If we extrapolate, just as the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of industrialized farming essentially opened up the economy for entirely new job categories, the replacement of many knowledge workers with AI will similarly create new opportunities.

I will categorize the new jobs after AI as “experience workers.” Some of these jobs we already know: tour guides, coaches, teachers, chefs, scuba divemasters, and more. For instance, consider dining at a fancy restaurant and watching the chef prepare your meal. This is an experience that cannot be replaced by AI or AI-controlled robots anytime soon.

While the nature of each of these jobs may be different, such as cooking versus scuba diving, they all involve human-to-human interaction and connection. This human connection is the timeless essence of being human.

In some cases, we might see an increase in the number of people in experience worker jobs. History offers insights into this. Industrialized agriculture has lowered food prices over time, leading to a rise in the restaurant business over the last century (consistently until Covid!).

Which jobs might see similar increases due to AI? Let’s consider teaching. While it’s easy to think that AI may reduce the need for teachers, tasks such as teaching a kindergartener to write require in-person interaction. AI can, however, make teachers more effective and efficient, handling tasks like grading and tutoring. This could lead to more teaching, not less.

For example, last winter, I tried Carv.ski, an AI and sensor package for snow skiing.

Using Carv was a fascinating and fun experience! Despite my thirty years of skiing experience, the AI considered my skills to be, well, “amateur at best”! It definitely helped me improve this season!

However, I still prefer an in-person ski instructor who can also access the data from the Carv system. That would be the best of both worlds – an instructor who can see how I perform in any snow condition, combined with the insights of the AI.

In essence, AI could make it easier and more cost-effective to be a ski instructor while improving outcomes. This combination can be powerful. Even without AI, many businesses, from FedEx to Shopify, have thrived by simplifying and reducing the cost of previously challenging endeavors.

This brief interview with the founder of Shopify is well worth reading! When Shopify started, the market for e-commerce software was tiny because it was so difficult to use! They made it easier, and now have over a million e-commerce stores on their platform.

AI tools will simplify and reduce the cost of numerous industries and scenarios.

Known Unknowns and Unknown Unknowns

Taking a cue from a famous quote by Donald Rumsfeld, the former Secretary of Defense, the really interesting question is: what are the jobs we don’t know about yet???!!

By definition, I don’t know what those are! But I believe the most interesting new jobs in the post-AI world will be ones that we can’t imagine yet, just as few people imagined the job of an Instagram influencer!

I also believe that these unknown jobs will involve people connecting with others in some way, as experience worker jobs do.

The Transition

I would be remiss not to comment on how quickly the changes in the job market may occur. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we are already seeing it, albeit in small ways (e.g., one less job posted in a startup). What if the job market changes happen really quickly?

It’s one thing to say, “Oh, there will be many more sports instructors, so no problem!” But it’s quite different when it affects specific individuals. If you’ve been laid off, that’s not a theoretical exercise. It’s a real, live “what do I do now and how do I support my family?” situation. It might be challenging to transition from an office job to a scuba or ski instructor or any newly invented experience worker job overnight, especially if you live in Kansas.

While I am hopeful that society will adapt to AI technologies, just as we have to every other technology revolution in history, the transition could be abrupt and messy.

That is a topic for another post, though!

In the meantime, if you’re working on AI, adopting AI, or are otherwise affected by AI, remember the importance of people! The relationships and social interactions between people are crucial. Technologies will evolve and enhance the human experience, but I don’t believe they will replace it. This is the opportunity for all of us!

The recent events involving tech CEO Elon Musk have brought him a lot of attention, particularly his acquisition of Twitter and the subsequent changes he initiated. Many people have been asking me about the significant reduction in staff, with some sources suggesting it’s been over 70%. This raises the question: is this truly achievable, let alone advisable? Could this lead to inevitable failure for him?

One Twitter user, Paul Vick (@panopticoncntrl), posted a tweet expressing that many tech CEOs seem to take delight in the fact that Elon let go of 75% of his workforce, yet Twitter is still functioning. However, the user believes that this situation might resemble the operations of Southwest Airlines, which could run smoothly until it encounters issues.

This tweet captures the prevailing sentiment on both sides of the debate. However, it fails to address the more crucial question: it’s not about whether you can downsize staff and keep the company functioning; the crucial question is, what problem are you attempting to solve?

As a former Chief Technology Officer at AOL, I have firsthand experience of implementing substantial staff cuts within a company. There’s no denying how difficult it was, especially for those directly affected. However, it was also a matter of survival for the company – we had to do it to stay afloat. And not only did the company survive, but many of AOL’s products remain active over a decade later.

Three essential forces are at play here: Customers, Employees, and Owners (sometimes represented by the CEO and senior executives). Each has a valid and compelling perspective.

From the employees’ standpoint, let’s consider that every job within a company is legitimate and valuable. Each employee was likely hired to fulfill a specific need and is currently engaged in meaningful work. Moreover, someone spent time, effort, and resources to secure their position. Another individual dedicated time to recruit and hire them. Someone is investing time in managing the employee. By and large, someone cares about that employee and their work. After all, how often do you talk to a friend working at a large company and hear them say, “Well, my job is pointless, and I have nothing to do”? Not very often.

This success leads to expansion, the hiring of more people, filling in skill gaps, and so on. There are a series of gradual improvements that go beyond the initial innovation. If you’ve ever had the chance to drive a luxury car like a Porsche, you can sense the decades of improvements in the driving experience.

Most of you probably use Microsoft Word. I doubt many of you would willingly go back to using Microsoft Word from 1995. The current version is a thoroughly refined and polished product. Yet if I asked you which single feature you couldn’t live without, you’d probably say “automatic spell check.” That feature was introduced in 1995!

Over time, it becomes easy to reach a point of diminishing returns on product refinement. These refinements are valuable to at least some set of customers—there’s typically a rigorous feature prioritization process! Yet these incremental refinements often lack the same impact as the original innovation.

A similar effect is observed with governments and government bureaucracy. As those of us in the United States prepare for our annual federal income tax exercise, we encounter the complexity of the tax code. Many of these regulations were introduced to address issues and special cases resulting from individuals attempting to reduce their taxes.

If you’ve ever had to complete government contracting forms, you’d have experienced a similar level of complexity. Even the number of pages, font, and font size are often stipulated.

Someone, somewhere in the past, undoubtedly attempted to submit an extensive proposal, leading to a rule about page length. Subsequently, another person used a small font, resulting in the rule on font size. There are over 2300 pages of rules for government contracting (and that’s just the baseline; the Department of Defense has an additional 1000 pages of supplementary regulations).

This iterative refinement works for a while until a disruptive change looms on the horizon.

This is where the customer dimension comes into play. It’s easy to perceive customers as a more uniform, homogeneous group, as seen in the countless business slogans: “Be customer focused. Customers are our number one priority. Customer-driven.”

However, as we all know, the reality is far more intricate. Some customers want no change at all, while others seek gradual improvements. Another group may desire more radical enhancements (in terms of cost, functionality, etc.). Even within those groups, there’s enormous diversity in opinions, desires, and needs. We used to say at Microsoft for many years: “No one uses 100% of the features of Office, but every feature is used by at least someone.”

The incremental planning and refinement process mentioned above is generally very effective at balancing the current customers’ needs. That’s why so many companies use it!

Managing disruptive change is the challenge. This kind of disruptive change may involve sacrificing some performance for cost, such as the original launch of gmail.com providing 1 gigabyte of storage when other email products offered 2MB—a 500:1 performance increase. At times, it introduces entirely new categories of functionality, like smartphones or AI and blockchain technologies in today’s world.

It may be challenging to accommodate diverse customer needs, especially when the disruptive technology would entail a significant change in the company.

In “The Innovator’s Dilemma,” Clayton Christensen delves into the difficulties successful firms encounter in adapting to new technologies or market shifts. I strongly suggest reading this book if you haven’t already.

Let’s take the case of Microsoft Word. I no longer utilize Microsoft Word—the transition was swift. Earlier, I would utilize Word on a daily basis; presently, I rely on chatGPT and Grammarly for all my writing tasks. The combination is remarkable: it has significantly enhanced both the speed and quality of my writing.

End-to-end software projects

The AI revolution encompasses more than just improving programming productivity—making the same activity more efficient. AI is also reshaping both the how and the what of numerous business processes. Building on the earlier example of outsourced programming, consider the full range of tasks involved in those projects.

An engineer typing on a keyboard and writing code is just one aspect. Additionally, there is project management, documentation, testing, regulatory compliance certification, user training, and more.

Some of these processes, such as regulatory compliance, can be extremely laborious and time-consuming. I have firsthand experience with a variety of compliance steps at different companies.

The legal department initiates the quarterly requests for a compliance update, which are then passed on to a group of compliance managers. They, in turn, approach different parts of the company for updates. In the case of compliance involving software, the compliance managers request updates from software program managers. These program managers then ask the engineers for the latest updates.

Needless to say, writing compliance reports is not the most enjoyable task for any engineer.

However, what if a compliance report could be generated at the click of a button? Moreover, what if the report also demonstrated to the engineers how to rectify the code to address those issues?

This would revolutionize compliance management. This capability would involve more than simply doing the same activity quicker. It would enable a complete rethink of the process and eliminate numerous hours of tedious work as it exists today.

Unquestionably, compliance is not the sole aspect of software development that is undergoing transformation. New AI developer tools can automatically document entire codebases and keep that documentation current. Tests can be automatically generated, and achieving the often-discussed “shift-left” cybersecurity objective (remedying cybersecurity issues in code rather than attempting to rectify them post-implementation) becomes significantly simpler with AI tools. The latest AI developer tools not only automatically identify cybersecurity bugs but also provide fixes to resolve the issues.

During the most recent earnings call, the CEO of Accenture, Julie Sweet, extensively discussed their work with legacy systems. Traditionally, this has been a source of competitive advantage for Accenture—they possess the teams and expertise to manage older and often outdated technologies. But what if AI tools could rewrite legacy software into more modern technologies?

These are not hypothetical scenarios. These AI-powered tools are currently available (full disclosure—my company Polyverse develops some of them!), and the tools are rapidly improving—sometimes on a weekly basis.

The leadership team at Accenture is certainly aware of these advancements in AI capabilities—Julie mentioned this in the aforementioned investor call, for instance. However, Accenture’s challenge lies in what action to take in response.

At present, Accenture talks a lot about AI but has yet to make any fundamental changes to their business.

Someone else will take the lead.

My forecast is that numerous smaller, more agile outsourcing firms will fully and vigorously embrace these new AI technologies. They will leverage these newfound capabilities to compete against Accenture and other “legacy” outsourcers.

However, these new proposals won’t just focus on pricing—they will encompass the complete package. An AI-enhanced outsourcing provider could offer better software delivered more rapidly, fully compliant, and better tested and documented, all at a significantly lower cost than legacy providers like Accenture.

In the beginning, these rivals will start by testing the waters. The proposals will appear too good to be true! Even though the proposal is accepted, enterprise sales will still be a time-consuming and lengthy process—so far, I haven’t witnessed any AI technologies that expedite the enterprise sales process!

At some stage, probably within a year, those initial attempts will evolve into a full-scale competitive rush.

Accenture and other major public companies will heavily publicize, promote, and make a fuss about their own implementation and embrace of AI.

Ultimately, they are constrained by their achievements. If staying competitive in the future means halving revenue, is it feasible for them? Can they acquire enough new customers and projects quickly enough to make up for the shortfall?

It’s not just a financial query. Culturally, these companies have a deep-seated emphasis on billable hours. If you are an employee there, that’s how you earn, receive bonuses, get promoted to management, and so on. Shifting that focus from billable hours to a “how do you accomplish this more quickly for less cost” mindset could be daunting.

Remember, this AI revolution is not simply about learning to use a new tool. AI is advancing at a rapid pace. In software development, last year, AI tools were essentially equivalent to advanced auto-complete. By the end of this past winter, they were capable of generating large sections of code. Now, the cutting-edge is complete code conversion, security testing, and compliance verification. Where will these tools be a year from now?

It’s not only AI programming that is rapidly progressing. In November 2022, ChatGPT 3.5 could surpass the legal threshold in the bottom 10%. By March 2023, ChatGPT 4.0 exceeded the threshold in the top 10%. Similar swift progress is being made in image and video generation, and so on. Where will we stand a year from now?

Providing value to customers as an AI-driven provider requires a completely different mindset than focusing on billable hours. It’s about continuously enhancing both efficiency and capability.

With Polyverse, we are fortunate to be collaborating with several partners who are fully embracing this new AI-driven mentality. There is a tangible sense of enthusiasm and determination—they all perceive billions of dollars of potential from established providers ready for disruption.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved from being merely a buzzword to a significant force that is transforming the workplace and business practices. It is an intelligent technology that not only enhances but sometimes exceeds human abilities in areas like decision-making, language processing, and pattern recognition, making it a fundamental part of numerous business strategies. Leaders in various sectors are harnessing AI, fostering the growth of careers in artificial intelligence, not just for operational improvements but as a foundational element for innovation and gaining a competitive edge.

The speed at which AI is being adopted has been remarkable. A study by PwC reveals that the pandemic acted as an accelerant, with 52% of organizations expediting their AI strategies, and by 2021, 86% viewed artificial intelligence as an essential element of their business operations. This swift integration is embodied by Frito-Lay’s rapid digital transformation, which compressed five years of development into just 18 months, highlighting AI’s transformative impact within corporations.

As artificial intelligence greatly affects the development of products and services, reinforces corporate principles, and provides solutions to challenging supply chain problems, it also plays a vital role in the startup ecosystem while supplying established companies with tools to handle disruptions. Nevertheless, a closer examination indicates that AI’s effects on employment are complex.

While promoting efficiency, innovation, and creating new job opportunities, it also presents challenges such as the potential for job displacement and the necessity of skill adaptation. This nuanced view of AI’s effects is essential as we investigate its diverse and significant influence on the job market, shaping a new landscape where technology, roles in artificial intelligence, and human skills exist in harmony.

What Are the Advantages of Implementing AI?

The integration of artificial intelligence is having a beneficial impact on the job market in numerous ways, particularly by generating new, in-demand positions for skilled professionals across a range of AI occupations. This trend is observable throughout various industries and is altering workforce dynamics.

Increased Demand for Skilled Workers

The rise of AI is not only catalyzing the emergence of new AI-centric businesses but also heightening the demand for individuals with skills relevant to artificial intelligence, including data analytics. As companies invest increasingly in AI, there is a marked shift towards a more educated workforce that prioritizes STEM degrees and IT expertise to fill essential AI roles. This trend transcends technology megacorporations and is also apparent in traditional sectors that are adopting artificial intelligence within their operations.

For example, organizations with higher initial percentages of well-educated and STEM-educated employees are channeling more resources into artificial intelligence, resulting in a workforce transition towards higher levels of educational attainment and specialization in STEM disciplines. This shift is linked to a flattening of organizational hierarchies, with growing proportions of junior staff holding advanced educational qualifications but lacking technical skills and expertise. The overall upskilling trend associated with artificial intelligence investments is also noticeable, as firms generally increase the percentages of workers holding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, while simultaneously decreasing the share of workers without college education.

Furthermore, the demand for educated personnel in firms investing in AI is heavily focused on technical domains. Analysis of resume data indicates that investments in artificial intelligence correspond with a rise in the percentage of employees who have STEM degrees, while there is a decline in those with undergraduate degrees in the social sciences. Moreover, data from job postings by firms investing in artificial intelligence show a significant uptick in the need for employees skilled in robotics, engineering, big data analysis, and IT, moving away from traditional fields like finance and maintenance.

These patterns demonstrate that the adoption of AI encompasses more than just the deployment of technology, programming languages, predictive modeling, and data engineering; it involves fostering a workforce that is more skilled, specialized, and technically knowledgeable. As artificial intelligence continues its evolution, the demand for professionals equipped with AI-relevant skills is anticipated to increase, ultimately shaping the future of work and opening up new career opportunities.

Cutting-Edge Companies Driving AI Innovations

The landscape of AI innovation features companies that employ specialized talent to further the expansive field of artificial intelligence. These organizations stand out for their current contributions to AI development, relying on their skilled workforce in various specialized positions. Here’s an overview of their current activities:

Cerebras Systems: Cerebras is dedicated to creating cutting-edge computer chips, among the largest globally, intended for tasks in artificial intelligence. Their team, which includes hardware engineers and AI professionals, focuses on optimizing these chips for intricate computations in computer science, such as deep learning algorithms. Additionally, software developers at Cerebras are involved in developing the necessary frameworks and tools for applying these chips in AI.

DeepMind: DeepMind brings together a group of artificial intelligence researchers and data scientists who work collaboratively on deep learning and neural network technologies, including natural language processing. Their initiatives encompass projects like AlphaGo and AI for protein folding, making contributions to areas such as healthcare and game theory. Software engineers at DeepMind build the infrastructure, while neural networks are employed to create models and algorithms that form the foundation of these AI systems.

OpenAI: OpenAI employs a diverse group of AI researchers tackling fundamental challenges in artificial intelligence and engineers creating practical applications. Their projects span domains such as natural language processing, exemplified by the GPT models, and robotics. Additionally, policy experts at OpenAI prioritize the ethical considerations related to AI’s development and implementation.

Lightmatter: At Lightmatter, a collaborative team of physicists, engineers, and AI specialists focuses on advancing photonic computing technology, which utilizes light for processing data. This technology aims to enhance computational speed, increase power, and lower energy consumption, merging the fields of physics and artificial intelligence.

SambaNova Systems: SambaNova’s team comprises hardware engineers, artificial intelligence researchers, and software developers who work on their dataflow architecture. This architecture is tailored to produce software that efficiently manages artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads at scale, with both AI engineers and machine learning engineers concentrating on optimizing hardware and software components for various AI applications.

Each of these companies plays a vital role in shaping the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence through their current projects and specialized workforce, showcasing the dynamic and diverse nature of AI development.

AI’s Impact on Increasing Workplace Productivity: The adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace has noticeably enhanced productivity, particularly among skilled workers. A study conducted by a multidisciplinary group of researchers involving over 700 consultants reveals the significant influence of generative AI on productivity. It found that when AI is employed within its designed capabilities, it can elevate a worker’s performance by as much as 40% compared to those who do not use it. This productivity boost arises from AI’s capacity to efficiently handle routine tasks, enabling skilled workers to concentrate on more complex and critical issues.

Nonetheless, it is crucial to recognize that the successful application of artificial intelligence is contingent on its use within the right scope for specific tasks. The same study noted that when AI is applied outside its optimal range to complete tasks, worker performance declines by an average of 19 percentage points. This emphasizes the necessity for careful evaluation of AI’s capacities and restrictions in various tasks.

The research also highlighted notable variations in performance enhancement among workers with different skill levels. Participants in the lower skill half who utilized AI tools like GPT-4 saw a performance improvement of 43%, while those in the upper skill half experienced a 17% rise, indicating a broader range of skill enhancements facilitated by AI.

Moreover, the study emphasized the importance of cognitive effort and expert judgment when incorporating AI into workflows. For tasks that exceeded AI’s optimal capacity, despite witnessing a decrease in performance, the quality of participants’ reasoning and justification improved, suggesting that artificial intelligence can still contribute positively to cognitive processes even when it does not enhance task performance directly.

In light of these insights, organizations and managers are encouraged to take a strategic approach when integrating artificial intelligence into employee workflows. This strategy should include meticulous interface design, onboarding procedures, role adjustments, and promoting a culture of accountability to ensure the effective use of artificial intelligence, enhancing rather than undermining worker performance.

The implementation of artificial intelligence, machine learning systems, and robotics, as noted by HBR, has resulted in considerable shifts in the job market, presenting both advancements and challenges.

The Displacement of Manual and Knowledge Workers

Artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming the job market. Robots are becoming more advanced and are now taking over tasks ranging from assembly line jobs to more specialized roles like pharmacists and healthcare aides. Additionally, generative AI technologies pose risks to knowledge-based professions in areas such as coding, robotics engineering, accounting, and journalism.

Economic Implications and Job Displacement

The incorporation of artificial intelligence and automation within the workforce, especially in manufacturing, has significantly altered job dynamics. The recent pandemic has accelerated this transformation, with a PwC study indicating that more than half of the companies accelerated their AI initiatives as a response to the challenges posed by Covid-19. In 2021, according to a Harris Poll, artificial intelligence became a key element in the operations of 86% of companies. This swift integration is influencing new business models and fostering innovative products and services, as 74% of executives anticipate that artificial intelligence will optimize business operations, and over half expect it to lead to new business opportunities and products.

AI plays a crucial role in alleviating labor shortages, especially in sectors heavily impacted by the pandemic, such as travel and hospitality. It is bridging gaps in numerous positions across nearly all industries, from truck driving to customer service. Cognizant’s Jobs of the Future Index shows a revival in the U.S. job market, particularly in technology-centered roles. Positions that involve artificial intelligence and automation have experienced a 28% rise, reflecting a shift towards workforces that are more technology-savvy.

Furthermore, the positive impact of AI on productivity is becoming clearer. The use of AI-driven technologies is now recognized as a major contributor to enhanced efficiency in various industries. This transition is driven by improvements in machine learning methods, more affordable data storage solutions, and enhanced computational power, which have made these advancements more accessible and effective across different business sizes.

Industries Impacted by Automation

Automation has profoundly influenced multiple sectors, particularly manufacturing. According to TeamStage, approximately 1.7 million manufacturing jobs have already been lost to automation, and this trend is likely to persist. The number of industrial robots, which now totals 2.25 million globally, has tripled over the past two decades, leading to this job loss. By 2030, it is estimated that robots may displace as many as 20 million manufacturing jobs. Other fields, such as retail, automotive, and logistics, also report significant levels of job insecurity related to automation.

Future Prospects and Adaptation Strategies

Despite the worries, some experts believe that artificial intelligence and robotics may generate more employment opportunities than they eliminate. By 2025, it is projected that machines could replace around 85 million jobs while creating 97 million new ones that align better with the emerging labor distribution among humans, machines, raw data, and algorithms. Nevertheless, there is an urgent need for improved training programs and educational reforms to prepare the workforce for future job roles, preventing them from being marginalized by this technological evolution.

The adoption of artificial intelligence and automation brings innovation and efficiency but also introduces considerable challenges, such as job loss. This impact is especially pronounced in sectors like manufacturing, retail, and logistics, where millions of jobs have already been affected by automation. Looking ahead, it is crucial to balance technological progress with strategies for workforce adaptation, including education and training. The future job landscape is likely to feature a combination of new positions generated by artificial intelligence and the adaptation of current jobs to integrate these technologies.

As we recognize the substantial effects of artificial intelligence on the labor market, it is vital to consider effective strategies to mitigate any negative outcomes. The shift to an AI-driven economy presents challenges like job displacement and changing labor requirements, which call for a comprehensive approach. Referring to insights from the Center for American Progress, a combination of regulatory measures, workforce development initiatives, and improvements to the social safety net can help counterbalance the transformative impacts of AI.

Steering the Creation of AI to Complement Workers

To address the implications of artificial intelligence, policymakers should aim to guide its development to enhance human labor. This strategy entails establishing strong worker protections, restricting unjust layoffs, similar to practices in the European Union. It is also important to prohibit artificial intelligence practices that discriminate or violate privacy, along with encouraging worker involvement in technology development.

Preparing Workers for the Adoption of AI

It is crucial to prepare the workforce for the integration of AI. This preparation should include investing in programs for upskilling, reskilling, and retraining. Policies must promote accessible and high-quality opportunities for reskilling and retraining, along with labor market initiatives and training collaborations that support a diverse range of workers. It is also vital to ensure that jobs created through artificial intelligence provide fair working conditions and uphold the rights to collective bargaining.

Meeting the Needs of Displaced Workers

Another key element is addressing the needs of workers who have been displaced by artificial intelligence. Improving the social safety net, such as updating unemployment insurance to be more inclusive and beneficial, is essential. These initiatives should grant adequate time for retraining, similar to the strategies used during economic downturns, to assist those impacted by technological advancements.

By implementing these strategies, policymakers will be better equipped to navigate the transition to an AI-enhanced economy, ensuring the workforce is supported and empowered throughout this technological change.

What To Know About Investing in Artificial Intelligence

As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, investing in AI companies has gained popularity. However, it is important to comprehend the landscape before making any investments. Despite the rapid growth of AI leading to potentially significant valuations and a surge in venture capital, investors must understand that these high valuations and the possibility of substantial returns are not assured and can be affected by various market and operational factors.

Interest from investors in AI startups and companies is increasing, fueled by the potential for innovation. Venture capital firms have engaged in numerous deals within the artificial intelligence sector, reflecting a robust interest in this area. Nonetheless, investors should proceed with a balanced and informed mindset. It is crucial to recognize both the opportunities and risks that come with this evolving domain. Factors such as technological advancements, market conditions, regulatory shifts, and competition within the industry can impact the success of AI investments. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct thorough due diligence and adopt a cautious perspective when considering AI investments.

Conclusion: AI’s Impact on Job Market

Artificial intelligence is significantly transforming the job market in various ways, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Its swift adoption has resulted in greater efficiency and the emergence of new job roles, but it also brings risks such as job displacement and the necessity for skill transitions. The progression of AI demands a comprehensive strategy that includes regulatory frameworks, workforce development efforts, and investment approaches to leverage its advantages while addressing its complexities.

For investors, it is vital to grasp the AI market, perform comprehensive due diligence, monitor emerging trends, and diversify investments to effectively navigate this dynamic environment. As AI continues to advance, it is imperative for all stakeholders to adjust and ready themselves for a future where AI and human skills work together, fostering both economic growth and sustainable employment.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered a topic of the future. But in some companies and industries, it is already part of everyday life, as a survey by tagesschau.de among German business associations shows.

According to a survey conducted by the TÜV Association among more than 1,000 people, almost one in four Germans has already used ChatGPT—including for professional purposes. Artificial intelligence (AI) could bring about significant changes, especially in the labor market. Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) believes that starting in 2035, there will no longer be a job that has anything to do with AI.

In the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2023,” around three-quarters of companies recently stated that they wanted to use corresponding technologies by 2027. However, many companies have long been working with AI—for example, to save costs or counteract the shortage of skilled workers. But which sectors are we talking about?

One in seven companies is already using artificial intelligence AI.

“Whether machine translation, predictive maintenance, or personalized marketing – the scope of AI extends across almost all economic sectors and business areas,” says the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK). According to their digitalization survey, around 14 per cent of the more than 1,000 companies surveyed used AI across industries in February of this year. A plan of 23 percent is to introduce it within three years.

“There are already enormous application possibilities for all professional groups that can increase productivity,” explains Roman Fessler, business coach for so-called generative AI, in which texts, images, or videos are created automatically. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, this type of artificial intelligence AI alone could increase by 2.4 to 4.1 trillion euros worldwide. However, there has long been fear that many people could lose their jobs.

According to Fessler, text robots like ChatGPT and Bard or image generators like Stable Diffusion can save time. “The interesting thing about these models is their universal applicability. Even in a family-r business, an AI-based chatbot can take over parts of the accounting, writing offers or communication,” says the expert in an interview with tagesschau.de. However, he receives a considerable number of inquiries from social media agencies and from marketing departments of companies.

Robots in bank customer serviceartificial intelligence AI

This observation corresponds to the DIHK survey. At the top is the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, where more than a quarter of companies already use AI. “All of our member companies, such as agencies, media, marketers and platforms, are already working or will be working with AI solutions shortly,” reports the Federal Association of the Digital Economy (BVDW). AI is used, for example, in translations, summaries and when writing your own texts and descriptions of products. The technology is also used for image editing, creating presentations and writing programming code for software.

The financial sector follows second with 24 per cent. “Artificial intelligence in banking can be used in risk management, identifying money laundering, securities trading and chatbots,” says the Federal Association of German Banks (BdB). According to the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV), artificial intelligence AI is already part of everyday life in insurance companies – especially in customer service and claims settlement.

“By using artificial intelligence AI-based systems, insurance companies can assess and compensate claims more quickly but also more accurately,” says GDV Managing Director Jörg Asmussen to tagesschau.de. This reduces costs but also ensures more efficient identification of fraud cases. According to the eDIHK, other application areas include checking identities and analyzing key figures.

Importance in the industry is growing.

In industry, 13 per cent of companies already use artificial intelligence AI, and 26 per cent are planning to do so. According to the DIHK, the technology is used here to maintain systems and ensure quality. This involves irregularities in complex machine data and automatically detecting errors.

The Association of the Electrical and Digital Industry(ZVEI) also refers to trend analyses and the use of AI-based chat programs to formulate operating instructions. AI is also already being used in train maintenance: by evaluating usage, infrastructure, weather, and traffic data, reliability will be increased, and downtimes will be reduced. Deutsche Bahn uses self-developed software based on artificial intelligence to limit delays in the rail network.

Which rolls are in demand?

In the automotive industry, AI plays a central role, especially in autonomous cars, as the Association of the Automotive Industry(VDA) reports. Complex AI systems analyse sensor data and are supposed to recognise traffic situations. “In driver assistance systems, AI is used, for example, in adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistants and emergency braking assistants,” said a VDA spokesman.

AI is also playing an increasing role in food production. Image recognition programs can detect incorrectly delivered raw materials. Bakeries use cash register data to determine the busiest times and the types of bread rolls in exceptionally high demand.

Weather data for ordering goods

Only six percent of companies currently use artificial intelligence (AI) applications in construction. Road construction companies use them to calculate the volume of bulk material piles. Specific programs are intended to help record structural damage or examine roofs needing renovation.

The Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH) refers to a butcher shop in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that, together with the Fraunhofer Institute, developed an AI-based tool for ordering goods. Using modern software, “the sales statistics from previous years were combined with other factors such as the weather or holidays,” and production was thereby adjusted.

In wholesale and foreign trade, “companies are increasingly taking advantage of the opportunities offered by using artificial intelligence,” reports the Federal Association of Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA). Many companies are still just starting out. Possible areas of application include planning inventory or analysing purchasing decisions.

Use as a laboratory messenger artificial intelligence AI.

A new generation of AI-based service robots could become more critical – for example, in retail or catering. The Association of German Mechanical and Plant Engineering (VDMA) points out that such robots are already used for laboratory automation.

A Bochum company, together with a Munich AI robotics company, is equipping the first hospitals with autonomous robots that will transport and sort blood, urine, or stool samples. Artificial intelligence is intended to ensure better processes and help with interaction with caregivers.

Benefits Of Artificial Intelligence In The Military

The use of artificial intelligence in military operations has garnered significant attention, with the potential to enhance the capabilities of U.S. warfighters. Over the past year, AI has seen notable advancements, particularly in generative AI. The widespread availability of generative AI to the public means that potential adversaries also have access to this technology, necessitating the U.S. military to adapt to evolving threats.

The military must keep pace with these advancements to ensure security and maintain a technological advantage. Given the continuous development of new AI applications, it can be challenging to stay updated on how AI can support military functions. As AI becomes increasingly crucial, military superiority will not solely depend on the size of the armed forces, but on the performance of AI algorithms. Thus, it is important to examine current and potential future applications of AI in the military.

AI involves the creation of computer systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision making, and language translation. As AI systems become more sophisticated, they are being increasingly utilized across various domains, from automated customer service to smart speakers.

Recent times have witnessed significant strides in AI, particularly in natural language processing (NLP), enabling humans to communicate with machines using conventional language rather than needing to input code. These advancements have resulted in enhanced accuracy and fluency in processing requests for customized text or images. Additionally, there have been notable progress in computer vision, with improved techniques for analyzing images and videos. Progress has also been made in using AI for decision-making and autonomous systems.

These developments present opportunities for the military to expand the use of AI in various applications. Hence, the question arises: how can AI benefit the military? The U.S. military has integrated AI into its operations for many years, predating its widespread civilian use. As AI continues to evolve, it has the ability to execute complex tasks with minimal human intervention, although human oversight remains essential. From data processing to combat simulation, AI finds application in diverse military functions.

AI can offer numerous advantages to the military, encompassing warfare systems, strategic decision-making, data processing and research, combat simulation, target recognition, threat monitoring, drone swarms, cybersecurity, transportation, as well as casualty care and evacuation.

The integration of AI into military operations has become indispensable, and its significance is expected to grow further. Recognizing the potential of AI is essential for leveraging it in modern military functions, along with an understanding of the security risks and ethical considerations that may arise. A recent update in the Pentagon’s autonomous weapon policy underscores the Department of Defense’s commitment to addressing these concerns to ensure that AI serves the objectives of the U.S. military.

A notable recent development in AI is the widespread availability of generative AI. Particularly noteworthy is the progress in large language models, enabling applications such as ChatGPT to generate responses in a conversational format based on user prompts. These advances include the generation of photorealistic images from text inputs alone, and ongoing development in video capabilities. Apart from developing its own technologies, the military examines technological advancements, including those utilized by the general public, to understand their potential risks and benefits.

One driving force behind the exciting advances in AI is the emergence of multimodal AI, enabling a single AI system to process and interact with inputs in the form of text, images, audio, and video simultaneously. This development allows AI to interact more similarly to humans than ever before and broadens its range of applications. It also underscores the need for transparency in understanding how AI models function and recognizing potential threats posed by bad actors utilizing these highly advanced systems.

The recent advancements of language learning models (LLMs) like GPT-3 and PaLM represent a major milestone in the progress of AI. LLMs currently demonstrate convincingly human-like language abilities, along with the capacity to learn from their interactions with humans. Their capability to generate text for specific purposes, with a particular tone and perspective, by engaging in a conversation with the user, facilitates a more seamless human-AI interaction and delivers improved results.

Nevertheless, due to the potential confusion between AI-generated text and human-generated text, there is a risk of misuse. For instance, generative AI has been utilized in phishing schemes, so it’s important for organizations and individuals to take precautions, particularly by educating people to recognize signs that communications may have originated from AI. However, achieving a 100% success rate in this may not be feasible. This underscores the importance of providing training on how to implement a response plan in the event of social engineering attacks.

The arrival of LLMs with unparalleled natural language capabilities has numerous practical applications. Organizations, including the military, can utilize LLMs to automate text-based interactions that would otherwise consume personnel resources. For example, the ability of LLMs to produce high-quality text can expedite and streamline tasks such as report writing.

LLMs hold promise for document analysis and summarization, which, in collaboration with humans, can assist the military in deriving insights from intelligence. Similarly, LLMs can aid in research by answering questions and providing synthesized insights from data. As these models and artificial intelligence as a whole continue to progress, the military is poised to discover countless uses for the versatile linguistic skills of LLMs to address a variety of needs.

A DISCUSSION OF MILITARY UTILIZATIONS OF AI and The Advantages of Artificial Intelligence in the Military

Every aspect of military operations, from planning campaigns to transporting troops, from training personnel to providing medical care, can benefit from the support of AI. However, for these systems to be effective, they must be implemented in accordance with best practices and tailored to the specific task at hand.

MILITARY SYSTEMS

Military systems such as weapons, sensors, navigation, aviation support, and surveillance can integrate AI to enhance operational efficiency and reduce reliance on human input. This increased efficiency can lead to reduced maintenance requirements for these systems. Removing the necessity for complete human control of military systems decreases the potential impact of human error and frees up human resources for other critical tasks.

Specifically concerning weaponry, the Pentagon recently updated its policy on autonomous weapons to accommodate recent AI advancements. Given the technological progress made since the policy’s initial creation in 2012, this update outlines guidelines for the ethical and safe development and use of autonomous weapons, one of the most valuable military applications of AI. In addition to review and testing requirements, the policy establishes a working group focused on autonomous weapons systems to advise the Department of Defense (DoD).

DRONE GROUPS

One of the most compelling evolving uses of AI in the military involves leveraging swarm intelligence for drone operations. These drone swarms offer inherent advantages over individual drones for several reasons. When a drone receives crucial information, it can act on it or communicate it to other drones in the swarm. These swarms can be utilized in simulations as well as real training operations, and they have the ability to make decisions in various scenarios, with the swarm having an overarching objective while the individual drones can act independently and innovatively toward it.

AI-controlled drone swarms are programmed to emulate the behavior of natural insect swarms. For example, when a bee discovers something beneficial for the hive, it conveys detailed information to other bees. The drones are capable of the same behavior, communicating the distance, direction, and altitude of a target, as well as any potential threats, similar to how a bee operates. The ability to employ AI-powered drone swarms to utilize this collective intelligence for military objectives represents a pivotal frontier in the military applications of AI.

STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING

One of the most significant benefits of artificial intelligence in the military involves a domain where military commanders may be reluctant to let AI participate: assisting with strategic decision-making. AI algorithms can gather and process data from diverse sources to support decision-making, particularly in high-pressure situations. In many instances, AI systems can rapidly and efficiently analyze a situation and make optimal decisions in critical scenarios.

AI has the potential to counteract prejudices associated with human input, although it may not fully understand human ethical concerns and could learn from biases in its database. Nonetheless, AI can work with humans to facilitate decision making during high-pressure situations. By combining human ethical understanding and AI’s quick analytical abilities, the decision-making process can be expedited.

In military settings, generative AI can aid in decision making by efficiently sorting through large volumes of data to identify connections, patterns, and potential implications. This information can be presented to human decision makers in both report formats and through conversations, thereby promoting collaboration between humans and AI.

AI can generate simulations to test potential scenarios, enabling more informed decision making. After receiving this information from AI, humans can utilize their understanding of ethical principles, national security interests, and situational nuances to achieve optimal outcomes.

With careful human oversight, generative AI has the potential to enhance strategic thinking for military leaders. When implementing AI for decision making, it’s important to address biases, real-world conditions, data security, and ensuring AI complements human judgment while adhering to regulations and ethics.

DATA PROCESSING AND RESEARCH

AI’s capabilities can add significant value in processing large volumes of data, offering quick filtering and selection of valuable information. It also assists in organizing information from diverse datasets, enabling military personnel to identify patterns, draw accurate conclusions, and create action plans based on a comprehensive understanding of the situation.

Generative AI’s analytical capabilities enable it to uncover connections in vast amounts of data that may go unnoticed by humans. Through natural language processing (NLP), AI models can communicate this information to humans in a conversational manner and engage in dialogue to provide explanations.

AI can efficiently filter through extensive content from news and social media sources, aiding in the identification of new information while saving time for analysts. Additionally, AI systems eliminate repetitive and inaccurate information, optimizing the research process and reducing human error.

Generative AI expedites the analysis of critical information, organizing massive datasets and uncovering connections between seemingly unrelated data points. It also enables the rapid generation and comparison of numerous scenarios, allowing military leaders to formulate strategies and prepare for contingencies.

Furthermore, generative models quickly compare intelligence with existing knowledge and research, making useful suggestions to enhance predictions. While final strategic decisions will still be made by humans, AI collaboration enables military leaders to gain a more detailed understanding of current and future events.

COMBAT SIMULATION and Training

The U.S. Army has long utilized military training simulation software, combining systems engineering, software engineering, and computer science to create digitized models for soldiers’ training. This software functions as a virtual “wargame,” providing soldiers with realistic missions and tasks to prepare them for real-life situations.

AI-enabled language models have the potential to enhance military training and educational programs. These models can analyze training manuals and other resources to generate new training materials such as notes, quizzes, and study guides. Additionally, AI can assess students’ individual abilities and tailor training to meet their specific needs. Using natural language processing (NLP), generative AI can provide answers to students’ questions and explain concepts just as a human instructor would.

By processing large volumes of intelligence data and records of past combat experiences, AI can develop more comprehensive training, including detailed military simulations. Conversational AI can offer personalized feedback to assist students in improving their skills and to help commanding officers identify areas where a particular student may need help.

While AI offers numerous benefits for military training, it should not completely replace human instructors. To prevent issues like bias or misinformation, AI-generated materials should always be reviewed by leadership, who should ultimately evaluate students’ skills. Human instructors should determine the overall syllabus, while AI can create personalized lessons for review.

With AI’s assistance, instructors can develop and administer more effective training programs by providing individualized attention to students and by doing so more efficiently due to AI’s processing speed.

How Sentient Digital Utilizes LLM in Military Simulations

Sentient Digital is applying advanced AI-based technology to support military objectives. Our naval wargaming simulation, Fleet Emergence, uses cutting-edge LLM and ACI architecture. The simulation’s sophistication lies in the complex scenarios the LLM can generate, as well as its ability to produce realistic communications and responses akin to real-life adversaries.

Importantly, combat simulation is far safer than real combat, reducing the risk of casualties during training. This allows soldiers to experience realistic warfare scenarios without endangering their lives. These virtual environments help soldiers learn to handle weapons, make decisions under pressure, and collaborate with their team.

AI-based simulations not only train soldiers but also personalize training programs and provide fair assessments to make future program adjustments. They can also save time and money by being more efficient in certain tasks than humans. Explore our innovative AI model, Strat Agent, which acts as a modern battlefield commander for combat simulations.

TARGET IDENTIFICATION

Artificial intelligence can enhance target recognition accuracy in combat environments. It can improve systems’ ability to identify target positions and help defense forces gain a detailed understanding of operational areas by swiftly aggregating and analyzing reports, documents, and news.

Through generative AI’s conversational capabilities, military decision-makers can engage in two-way discussions to ensure the most relevant information surfaces. AI systems can predict enemy behavior, anticipate vulnerabilities, assess mission strategies, and suggest mitigation plans, saving time and human resources and ensuring soldiers stay ahead of their targets.

However, human decision-making remains essential.

THREAT SURVEILLANCE

Threat monitoring and situational awareness operations leverage AI to aid defense personnel in monitoring threats. Unmanned systems, including drones, use AI to recognize threats and enhance the security of military bases, ultimately increasing soldiers’ safety in combat.

CYBERSECURITY

AI can be very helpful in protecting highly secure military systems from cyber attacks. Even the most secure systems can be vulnerable, and AI can assist in protecting classified information, preventing system damage, and ensuring the safety of military personnel and missions. It has the ability to safeguard programs, data, networks, and computers from unauthorized access. Additionally, AI can study patterns of cyber attacks and develop defensive strategies to combat them. These systems can detect potential malware behaviors well before they enter a network.

Generative AI can also improve cybersecurity in military settings through its analysis, scenario generation, and communication capabilities. By analyzing large amounts of data and identifying patterns, generative AI can detect potential threats and use predictive analytics to anticipate future attacks. However, it’s important to be cautious as generative AI in the wrong hands can pose threats, such as the potential for attackers to misuse generative models for social engineering.

The military should address this concern through ongoing training and mitigation plans. When used appropriately and under close supervision, generative AI can enhance cyber defense, even for crucial military applications.

Just as in other areas, advanced AI has both positive and negative effects on cybersecurity. While its ability to create malware can be dangerous, AI can also assist in detecting and mitigating these threats. In essence, the military uses AI to counter adversaries who also have access to AI. Therefore, it’s crucial for the military to have access to advanced and tailored AI cybersecurity solutions to remain safe in an ever-evolving landscape of AI-driven cybersecurity risks.

TRANSPORTATION

AI can play a role in transporting ammunition, goods, armaments, and troops, which is essential for military operations. It can help lower transportation costs and reduce the need for human input by finding the most efficient route under current conditions.

Furthermore, AI can proactively identify issues within military fleets to enhance their performance. As advancements in computer vision and autonomous decision-making continue, self-driving vehicle technology may also become useful in military operations.

CASUALTY CARE AND EVACUATION

AI can aid soldiers and medics in high-stress situations when providing medical treatment to wounded service members. The battlefield environment presents numerous challenges to delivering medical care, and AI can assist by analyzing the situation and providing recommendations for the best course of action.

By accessing a comprehensive medical database, this type of AI can provide indications, warnings, and treatment suggestions based on data from medical trauma cases. However, it’s important to note that AI lacks the understanding of emotional and contextual factors involved in life or death situations , and therefore requires human guidance to make effective decisions. While AI can offer rapid analysis, human judgment based on emotional considerations is essential for making appropriate decisions in these critical situations.

Matthew Strohmeyer appears to be quite excited. The colonel of the US Air Force has conducted data-driven exercises within the US Defense Department for several years. However, for the first time, he utilized a large-language model for a military-related task.

“It proved to be very effective. It was extremely quick,” he shared with me a few hours after he issued the initial prompts to the model. “We are discovering that this is feasible for us to do.”

Large-language models, abbreviated as LLMs, are developed using vast amounts of internet data to assist artificial intelligence in predicting and generating human-like responses based on user prompts. These models power generative AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.

Five of these models are currently undergoing testing as part of a larger initiative by the Defense Department aimed at enhancing data integration and digital platforms throughout the military. These exercises are conducted by the Pentagon’s digital and AI office, alongside top military officials, with contributions from US allies. The Pentagon has not disclosed which LLMs are being evaluated, although Scale AI, a startup based in San Francisco, has indicated that its new Donovan product is among those being considered.

The adoption of LLMs would indicate a significant transformation for the military, where digitization and connectivity are relatively limited. At present, requesting information from a specific military division can take numerous staff members hours or even days to complete, often involving phone calls or hurriedly creating slide presentations, according to Strohmeyer.

In one instance, one of the AI tools fulfilled a request in just 10 minutes.

“That doesn’t imply it’s immediately ready for broad use. But we executed it live. We utilized secret-level data,” he remarked about the trial, adding that deployment by the military could occur in the near future.

Strohmeyer stated that they have input classified operational data into the models to address sensitive inquiries. The long-term goal of these exercises is to modernize the US military, enabling it to leverage AI-driven data for decision-making, sensors, and ultimately weaponry.

Numerous companies, such as Palantir Technologies Inc., co-founded by Peter Thiel, and Anduril Industries Inc., are creating AI-driven decision platforms for the Defense Department.

Recently, Microsoft Corp. announced that users of the Azure Government cloud computing service could utilize AI models from OpenAI. The Defense Department is among the clients of Azure Government.

The military exercises, which will continue until July 26, will also assess whether military officials can utilize LLMs to formulate entirely new strategies they haven’t previously considered.

Currently, the US military team intends to experiment by consulting LLMs for assistance in planning the military’s response to a global crisis that begins on a smaller scale and subsequently escalates in the Indo-Pacific region.

These exercises are underway amid rising warnings that generative AI can exacerbate bias and present incorrect information confidently. AI systems are also susceptible to hacking through various methods, including data poisoning.

Such issues are some of the reasons the Pentagon is conducting this experiment, Strohmeyer noted, emphasizing the need to “gain a comprehensive understanding” of the information sources. The Defense Department is already collaborating with tech security firms to assess the reliability of AI-enabled systems.

In a demonstration where the model was provided with 60,000 pages of public data, including military documents from both the US and China, Bloomberg News inquired with Scale AI’s Donovan about whether the US could deter a conflict over Taiwan, and who might prevail if war occurs. The response included a list of bullet points with explanations that arrived within seconds.

“Direct US engagement with ground, air, and naval forces would likely be essential,” the system indicated in one of its responses, also cautioning that the US might face challenges in swiftly incapacitating China’s military. The system’s concluding remark was that, “There is little consensus in military circles regarding the potential outcome of a military conflict between the US and China over Taiwan.”

How Artificial Intelligence is Revolutionizing Modern Warfare

Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly changing the landscape of contemporary warfare, marking the beginning of a new age defined by unmatched speed, accuracy, and complexity. At Eurosatory 2024, discussions among military leaders, industry professionals, and policymakers emphasized AI’s revolutionary potential.

The origins of AI in military use can be traced back to World War II, when the Colossus computer was developed to decipher Nazi codes. By the 1950s, computers had become essential in managing the air defenses of the United States. Over the years, AI’s involvement in warfare transitioned from a secondary role to a central one, reflecting its rapid progress in the civilian realm. Presently, AI is poised to radically alter the nature of warfare. In these initial phases of AI deployment in combat, major nations have secured advantages: developing digital systems for the battlefield is costly and demands vast data sets. If software can detect tens of thousands of targets, armies will need an equivalent quantity of munitions to engage them. Furthermore, if the defender possesses an upper hand, the attackers will require even more ordnance to breach their defenses.

Factors Promoting AI Integration

Warfare as a Driver: The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has accelerated the adoption of AI technologies. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces are employing inexpensive AI-guided drones, showcasing AI’s increasing importance beyond just traditional superpowers.
Technological Progress: Recent advancements in AI have led to sophisticated features such as advanced object identification and complex problem-solving.
Geopolitical Competitions: The strategic rivalry between the United States and China is a major impetus, as both countries are heavily investing in AI to gain military dominance.

Profound Effects of AI

AI’s influence on modern military operations is significant and varied. Aerial and maritime drones, augmented by AI, play vital roles in tasks like target identification and navigation, particularly in settings where communication can be disrupted. AI is transforming military command and control systems by analyzing vast amounts of information in real time, facilitating quicker and more informed decision-making, which is essential in today’s combat situations. Advanced AI-enabled decision-support systems can swiftly evaluate complex battlefield conditions, recommending the most effective strategies and responses.

At Eurosatory 2024, multiple innovative AI technologies were featured. MBDA’s Ground Warden system employs AI to assess battlefield surveillance data, aiding soldiers in accurately spotting and targeting threats. This system works seamlessly with existing weapon systems and showcases AI’s capability to improve situational awareness in combat. Additionally, MBDA introduced a new land-based cruise missile that utilizes AI for enhanced navigation and targeting, boosting its effectiveness in penetrating enemy defenses.

Intelligent Weapons Systems: AI is augmenting the abilities of drones and other autonomous technologies. These innovations are essential for tasks like target identification and navigation, especially in situations where communication links can be compromised. Information and electronic warfare.
Command and Control: AI is transforming military command and control frameworks by processing extensive data in real time. This capability allows for quicker and better-informed decision-making, which is vital for modern combat scenarios.
Decision-Support Systems: AI-driven decision-support frameworks can rapidly analyze intricate battlefield situations, proposing the best strategies and responses, such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Simulation and Training
Predictive Maintenance and Logistics

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

Despite its promise, the use of AI in warfare presents numerous ethical and operational dilemmas. It is vital to ensure the dependability and fairness of AI systems. AI models must undergo thorough testing and validation to eliminate biases and guarantee precise decision-making. Maintaining human oversight is crucial to avert unintended repercussions, ensuring AI supports rather than replaces human judgment in crucial military choices. Solid legal and ethical guidelines are necessary to regulate the application of AI in armed operations, ensuring adherence to international laws and safeguarding civilian lives.

The Global Competition for AI Supremacy

The global competition to develop and implement AI in military contexts is gaining momentum. The United States is at the forefront of AI development, supported by a well-established ecosystem that combines cloud technology and advanced AI research. In 2023, the budget allocated by the US Department of Defense for AI was slightly above one billion dollars. In 2024, the budget is nearly two billion dollars. China is swiftly progressing, characterized by substantial investments in AI and a high volume of scientific publications. The country’s focus on standardization and widespread deployment underscores its strategic objectives. The European Union is also making advancements, as seen with the enactment of the EU AI Act, which seeks to standardize AI development and usage across its member countries.

Deeper Integration in the Future

The future of artificial intelligence in military operations is expected to see ongoing enhancements and more profound integration. Major efforts to fully leverage AI’s capabilities will involve collaboration among industry, academic institutions, and government entities, expediting development timelines, and focusing on education and training regarding AI functionalities.

How AI is changing NATO soldier training

Artificial intelligence is increasingly impacting the training techniques used within NATO’s military framework. Using advanced combat simulations that incorporate machine learning and neural networks provides an unmatched degree of realism and efficiency in training exercises. Experts agree that the incorporation of AI into training programs can substantially enhance training effectiveness and reduce costs.

Evolution of military training

Military training has experienced significant transformations, moving from conventional field drills to computer-assisted simulations and now to experimental phases featuring AI-enhanced virtual realities. With rapid advancements in computing power and machine learning technologies, the distinction between simulated environments and actual combat scenarios is steadily diminishing. NATO and its member countries are committing substantial resources towards the creation and deployment of AI-integrated simulation systems, anticipating revolutionary advancements in training methodologies and operational performance.

Technological foundations of AI in combat simulations
Machine learning and deep learning

Current combat simulations are based on advanced machine learning techniques, particularly deep neural networks (DNNs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). These systems utilize sophisticated big data processing methods to analyze vast amounts of information collected from past conflicts, exercises, and intelligence data. Such models apply advanced strategies like transfer learning and reinforcement learning, enabling them to achieve remarkable accuracy in forecasting unit behaviors and the progression of intricate combat scenarios.

Neurocognitive architectures

By integrating various types of AI technologies, sophisticated computer models are developed that replicate the complex cognitive functions of humans and military formations. These systems combine conventional rule-based frameworks with modern learning approaches inspired by the brain’s functionality. Consequently, they can emulate crucial military competencies by rapidly evaluating battlefield situations, strategizing effectively, and adjusting to unpredictable circumstances. These models provide soldiers with opportunities to hone their decision-making skills in realistic yet secure virtual environments that closely mirror actual combat conditions.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) and multimodal interaction

Contemporary natural language processing systems leverage advanced technologies that enable them to analyze and produce text with a proficiency comparable to military communication experts. These systems employ models capable of efficiently interpreting intricate linguistic structures while focusing on different text segments simultaneously. To enhance realism in training scenarios, these language processing systems are integrated with other technologies like computer vision (for visual information analysis) and haptic feedback (to simulate physical sensations). This integration, known as multimodal interaction interfaces, enables soldiers to engage in voice communication, respond to visual cues, and concurrently experience the physical aspects of the simulated environment, resulting in a highly realistic training setting.

Computer vision and augmented reality

Cutting-edge computer vision technologies enable simulations to accurately identify and differentiate individual objects in images and comprehend three-dimensional spatial realities akin to human vision. These advancements, paired with high-level augmented reality systems that superimpose digital elements over real-world visuals, create incredibly authentic representations of combat scenarios. The responsiveness of these systems is so rapid that the interval between action and response is undetectable by human observers (less than one millisecond), ensuring visual quality that closely resembles real-world perceptions.

Application of AI in complex aspects of military training
Tactical and operational training

AI systems have the capability to generate and dynamically alter a variety of training scenarios that evolve in real time according to the trainees’ actions. These technologies employ advanced methodologies to automatically produce content and engage AI models in competition, allowing for the creation of a virtually limitless array of unique and intricate training situations. This enables soldiers to encounter fresh and unforeseen challenges with each experience, significantly boosting their preparedness for genuine combat environments.

Strategic planning and wargaming

Cutting-edge AI technologies for strategic planning integrate various techniques to forecast and simulate long-term geopolitical and strategic scenarios. They apply concepts from game theory (which analyzes strategic decision-making), learning from interactions among multiple actors, and probabilistic modeling. Consequently, these systems can emulate intricate relationships and dynamics among different nations, non-state actors, economic systems, and geopolitical elements. This capability enables military strategists to enhance their understanding and readiness for potential future shifts in global politics and security.

Logistics and supply chain management

In logistics training, artificial intelligence employs highly sophisticated techniques to tackle complicated issues. These approaches draw inspiration from quantum physics principles and encompass methods for identifying optimal solutions from a vast array of possibilities. Such strategies are much more efficient and adaptable compared to conventional methods. AI systems can determine the most effective way to coordinate intricate logistics networks in real time, even when faced with millions of variables and ever-changing conditions. This empowers military personnel to train in managing supply and transportation under highly complex and dynamic scenarios.

CBRN Scenario Simulation and Crisis Management

The simulation of scenarios involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats has seen enhancements through artificial intelligence. These advanced simulations merge precise scientific models of how hazardous materials or radiation disperse with predictions of human responses in such circumstances. AI facilitates these systems in accurately forecasting how a CBRN event could progressively impact critical infrastructure (such as power facilities, hospitals, or transportation networks) and society at large. This allows military personnel and crisis response teams to practice their reactions to these extremely hazardous scenarios in a safe yet highly realistic virtual environment.

Benefits and challenges of implementing AI in combat simulations

The integration of AI into training programs offers considerable advantages. It allows soldiers to acquire skills more rapidly, think more adaptively, and adjust better to new circumstances. Simulations powered by AI also permit the swift incorporation of emerging threats into training scenarios, ensuring that exercises remain applicable amidst the evolving nature of contemporary warfare.

However, these advantages come with notable challenges. A primary concern is the reliability of data and the elimination of bias within AI systems. Even minor inaccuracies in input data can result in substantial discrepancies in simulation outcomes. Another significant challenge is the cyber resilience of these systems, as sophisticated cyber attacks could jeopardize the integrity of training programs.

The ethical ramifications of deploying AI in military training are the focus of vigorous discussion. The central question is how to balance the utilization of advanced technologies while maintaining essential human judgment. Moreover, there is a risk of soldiers becoming excessively reliant on AI systems, potentially rendering them vulnerable in the event of system failures or hostile interference.

Geopolitical implications and future trajectories

The uneven adoption of AI technologies within military forces could dramatically alter the global security landscape. Variations in how countries employ AI in their armed services may create new forms of strategic instability and potentially initiate a novel arms race centered around AI technologies.

To effectively tackle these intricate challenges, it is vital to foster robust international collaboration in the research, development, and ethical oversight of AI systems for military applications. Concurrently, it is crucial to continually evaluate and recalibrate the balance between AI-assisted training and traditional methodologies. This will ensure the optimal integration of cutting-edge technologies with fundamental military competencies.

Conclusion

The incorporation of artificial intelligence into combat simulations signifies a profound shift in military training that significantly influences operational effectiveness and strategic planning. Current advancements illustrate the vast potential of these technologies while underscoring the critical need to confront the associated ethical, technical, and strategic challenges.

The future of military training will surely be defined by ongoing advancements at the intersection of human expertise and artificial intelligence. Establishing the most effective synergy between these two domains will be essential for ensuring NATO is sufficiently equipped to face the complex challenges of the 21st century.

The U.S. Navy is set to launch a conversational artificial intelligence program called “Amelia

The U.S. Navy is set to launch a conversational artificial intelligence program called “Amelia,” designed to help troubleshoot and answer frequently asked tech-support queries from sailors, Marines, and civilian staff.

This program will be fully rolled out in August as part of the Navy Enterprise Service Desk initiative, which aims to modernize and consolidate over 90 IT help desks into a singular central hub. General Dynamics Information Technology announced its receipt of the NESD indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract in late 2021.

Sailors, Marines, and civilians with a common access card who can be verified through the Global Federated User Directory will have the ability to reach out to Amelia via phone or text. The system is anticipated to cater to over 1 million users and provide round-the-clock responses based on extensive training and specialized knowledge. Further applications in secure environments may be developed in the future.

“Historically, we’ve had to rely on agents who knew ‘how do I resolve a specific issue,’” Travis Dawson, GDIT’s chief technology officer for the Navy and Marine Corps sector, mentioned in an interview with C4ISRNET. “That information can be documented, right? Once documented, we can resolve it through automation, eliminating the need for human interaction.”

While Amelia is designed to respond to inquiries and handle routine tasks, Dawson noted that it possesses additional abilities, such as detecting frustration in users’ questions.

“In the realm of artificial intelligence, referring to conversational AI as merely a bot is quite sensitive,” he remarked. “A bot operates on a pre-defined script, providing only the answers it has. If it lacks a response, you encounter a dead end.”

If Amelia is unable to resolve an issue or answer a question, it can escalate the matter to a live agent, facilitating the type of human interaction typically expected for connectivity issues or locked accounts. During testing, Amelia significantly reduced the number of abandoned calls, achieving a first-contact resolution rate in the high 90s percentile, according to Dawson.

“Users are now able to find their answers much more quickly than they could in the past,” he added.

The Pentagon is investing billions of dollars in the advancement and integration of artificial intelligence. This technology is being utilized in both military operations and administrative settings. It assists with target identification in combat vehicles and processes large volumes of personnel and organizational data.

GDIT, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, the fifth-largest defense contractor globally by revenue, launched a tech-investment strategy in May focusing on zero-trust cybersecurity, 5G wireless communications, automation in IT operations, AI, and more.

The company provided C4ISRNET with an image of Amelia depicted as a female sailor in uniform, though no rationale for the name or gender choice was provided.

“The requirement moving forward was to integrate an AI capability,” Dawson stated. “Given the available automation today, Amelia was the right fit.”

As this technology completes its testing and initial deployment later this year, it will be capable of interpreting human emotions beyond mere words.

“[Amelia] will be able to recognize emotional signals and will understand when a user is frustrated, allowing for an immediate escalation to a human agent,” explained Melissa Gatti, service and resource manager at the Navy’s Program Executive Office Digital.

The virtual assistant will prompt for human involvement when necessary, but will otherwise aim to respond to inquiries using its database of sanctioned documents and procedures.

“Unlike a chat bot, which is mainly scripted on the back end, you’ll receive answers from a pool of validated information, and if a particular answer isn’t available, you won’t have the option for escalation to a live agent; whereas Amelia has that capacity,” Travis Dawson elaborated, acting chief technology officer for the Navy & Marine Corps Sector at General Dynamics Information Technology.

The virtual assistant will engage in various discussions, including those related to administrative matters and career development.

“She’ll be equipped with knowledge articles that received government approval based on the specific inquiries end users will make … focusing on training and education systems—it’s not related to enterprise IT like flank speed,” Dawson clarified. “It’s MyNavyHR, and those are the types of systems she will support and the questions she will be able to answer with true conversational AI.”

Currently, assistance for users is limited by the personnel available to answer questions; the expectation is that this assistant will handle a significantly greater volume of requests.

“She has the capability to handle numerous queries simultaneously, which means you won’t have to wait for one individual on the phone or process one query at a time: she is working on many tasks repeatedly. This significantly improves our ability to address issues more quickly, not just for a single warfighter,” Gatti shared with SIGNAL Media during an interview.

Regarding the evolution of the knowledge base, it mainly relies on the end users.

“She is educated by us, so there remains a human aspect where we guide her on what information she requires and we organize her knowledge based on the problems that arise,” Gatti clarified.

The entire initiative involves users from all over the globe, whether they are on the ground or at sea.

“We are aware that the Navy faces specific challenges due to their locations: bandwidth limitations in the fleet, so we are preparing for user acceptance tests and assessments onboard Navy ships as well,” Dawson mentioned.

Amelia’s text interface will debut in August, and sailors will have access to it via voice later this year, as Gatti noted.