Canada is getting out in front of the potential internal and external threats posed by artificial intelligence.
The Department of National Defence (DND) announced its first-ever Artificial Intelligence Strategy on Monday.
The AI strategy focuses on enhancing the CAF’s efforts to achieve its top goals, such as reconstituting, developing new operational and corporate capabilities, and maintaining interoperability with allies.
“The strategy articulates Defence’s digital ambitions to modernize and mature our organization for the complex future challenges and opportunities,” General Wayne Eyre, the Chief of Defence Staff, said.
“The successful adopting of AI will only come through the transformation and optimization of our data and information management as well as our operational and business practices.”
The strategy will modernize and reconstitute the military while emphasizing inclusivity and ethics. Ultimately, the strategy aims to improve operational capabilities.
Eyre said that our allies are quickly advancing in their AI commitments and adoption. The urgency for the Canadian Forces to act now to maintain a shared operational picture with them, allowing the forces to sense, decide, and act at AI-enabled speeds to preserve its credibility and relevance as a fighting force.
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Strategy aims to modernize military
The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces will follow several guiding principles to successfully implement its AI strategy by 2030.
The strategy lays out a series of recommendations for technical developments, including investments in cloud infrastructure and security. It also lays out policy suggestions for the DND involving embracing and actively managing perceptions and expectations by demonstrating the value of AI and helping to overcome resistance and skepticism.
Furthermore, the organization needs to view AI as a means to solve problems, but not necessarily be an end in itself by maintaining realistic expectations and avoiding over-reliance on automated systems. Therefore, AI should augment but not replace human decision-making, and ensure appropriate human involvement, especially where risks are high. It also recommends that decisions and outcomes involving AI should be explainable and transparent with proper accountability mechanisms in place.
Additionally, the strategy lays that the organization needs to keep on top of the evolution and development of the technology, and also strategically invest in AI.
Focusing on these key areas will enable DND to use AI to meet the needs of the current age and avoid risking the loss of operational advantage. Top DND leaders emphasize that becoming AI-enabled will allow the CAF to become better stewards of the resources entrusted by Canadians.
The Defence Team wants to implement the recommendations from the 32 page document by 2030.
