INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
At a symposium in Washington DC on Friday, DARPAannounced plans to invest $2 billion in artificial intelligence research over the next five
years.
In a program called &AI Next,''the agency now has over 20 programs currently in the works and will focus on &enhancing the security
and resiliency of machine learning and AI technologies, reducing power, data, performance inefficiencies and [exploring] ‘explainability'&
of these systems.
Machines lack contextual reasoning capabilities, and their training must cover every eventuality, which is not only
costly, but ultimately impossible,& said director Dr
&We want to explore how machines can acquire human-like communication and reasoning capabilities, with the ability to recognize new
situations and environments and adapt to them.
Artificial intelligence is a broad term that can encompass everything from intuitive search
features to true machine learning, and all definitions rely heavily on consuming data to inform their algorithms and &learn.& DARPA has a
long history of research and development in this space, but has recently seen its efforts surpassed by foreign powers like China, who
earlier this summer announced plans to become an AI leader by 2030.
In many cases these AI are still in their infancy, but the technology
— especially machine learning — has the potential to completely transform not only how users interact with their own technology but how
corporate and governmental institutions use this technology to interact with their employees and citizens.
One particular concern with
machine learning is the potential bias that can be incorporated into these systems as a result of the data they consume during training
If the data contains holes or misinformation, the machines can come to incorrect conclusions — such as which individuals are &more likely&
to commit crimes — that can have devastating consequences
And, even more frighteningly, when organically coming to these conclusions the &learning& a machine is obscured in something called a black
box.
In other words, even the researchers who design the algorithms can''t quite know how machines are reaching their conclusions.
That
said, when handled with care and forethought, AI research can be a powerful source of innovation and advancement as well
As DARPA moves forward with its research, we will see how they handle these important technical and societal questions.
