Project Maven

Project Maven is a Pentagon project involving using machine learning and engineering talent to distinguish people and objects in drone videos,[1] apparently giving the government real-time battlefield command and control, and the ability to track, tag and spy on targets without human involvement. Initially the effort was led by Robert O. Work who was concerned about China's military use of the emerging technology.[2] Reportedly, Pentagon development stops short of acting as an AI weapons system capable of firing on self-designated targets.[3] The project was established in a memo by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense on 26 April 2017.[4] Also known as the Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team,[5] it is, according to Lt. Gen. of the United States Air Force Jack Shanahan in November 2017, a project "designed to be that pilot project, that pathfinder, that spark that kindles the flame front of artificial intelligence across the rest of the [Defense] Department".[6] Its chief, U.S. Marine Corps Col. Drew Cukor, said: "People and computers will work symbiotically to increase the ability of weapon systems to detect objects."[7] Project Maven has been noted by allies, such as Australia's Ian Langford, for the ability to identify adversaries by harvesting data from sensors on UAVs and satellite.[8] At the second Defense One Tech Summit in July 2017, Cukor also said that the investment in a "deliberate workflow process" was funded by the Department [of Defense] through its "rapid acquisition authorities" for about "the next 36 months".[9]

In 2022, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency took over Project Maven.[10]

Google employees, including Meredith Whittaker, staged walkouts protesting Google's involvement in Project Maven.[11]

  1. ^ "Google 'to end' Pentagon Artificial Intelligence project". BBC News. 2 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  2. ^ Cade Metz. (15 March 2018). "Pentagon Wants Silicon Valley's Help on A.I.". NY Times website Archived 2022-04-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Report: Palantir took over Project Maven, the military AI program too unethical for Google". The Next Web. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  4. ^ Robert O. Work (26 April 2017). "Establishment of an Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Google employees resign in protest against Air Force's Project Maven". Fedscoop. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  6. ^ Allen, Gregory C. (21 December 2017). "Project Maven brings AI to the fight against ISIS". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  7. ^ Ethan Baron (3 June 2018). "Google Backs Off from Pentagon Project After Uproar: Report". Military.com. Mercury.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  8. ^ Skinner, Dan (29 January 2020). "Signature Management in Accelerated Warfare | Close Combat in the 21st Century". The Cove. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  9. ^ Cheryl Pellerin (21 July 2017). "Project Maven to Deploy Computer Algorithms to War Zone by Year's End". DoD News, Defense Media Activity. United States Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  10. ^ Tucker, Patrick (2022-04-26). "NGA Will Take Over Pentagon's Flagship AI Program". Defense One. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  11. ^ Greenberg, Andy. "Under Meredith Whittaker, Signal Is Out to Prove Surveillance Capitalism Wrong". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-08-29.