In a move that feels oddly reminiscent of every high school group project where the smartest kids reluctantly sit next to the teacher, executives from five of the largest tech firms in America gathered at the Pentagon this week to showcase just how helpful they can be in the great artificial intelligence arms race. The meeting, which included representatives from Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta and Apple, centered around keeping the United States ahead of China in the not-at-all-lighthearted realm of AI and national security.
The executives met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and other top defense officials to discuss how Silicon Valley can help the Department of Defense deploy artificial intelligence in a manner that is both cutting edge and, one dares hope, does not accidentally vaporize humanity. While the details of their discussions were kept largely under wraps, the event was described as a “milestone” by Craig Martell, who happens to have the appealingly ambiguous title of Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer at the Pentagon.
In a press statement that included no obvious signs of irony, Martell said the meeting marked the first time the Pentagon had ever brought together these major tech players in one room to strategize over the country’s AI future. Presumably, snacks and perhaps a faint whiff of mutual distrust were also involved. “We want to see responsible AI in use for national security,” said Martell, echoing a sentiment increasingly popular in circles where the difference between helpful automation and sentient robot overlords is, let’s just say, still under discussion.
While Washington has been scrambling to keep up with ballooning tech innovations, the mood has lately shifted from cautious optimism to an almost caffeinated sense of urgency. The meeting was part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to turbocharge America’s AI capability while assuring the public that the rise of intelligent machines will come with appropriate safeguards and nothing too sinister lurking behind the algorithm.
Not to be outdone, China has been enthusiastically sprinting towards its own AI-powered future, prompting concerns among U.S. officials that the global power balance could soon depend less on aircraft carriers and more on who has the most obedient neural network. This particular meeting, while high profile, is just one of many steps the Pentagon is taking to bolster its technological prowess. Upcoming initiatives include partnerships with universities, internal AI task forces and, one imagines, significantly more acronyms.
All eyes are now on whether this newfound alliance between Big Tech and the Department of Defense can deliver results without the usual drama that tends to accompany powerful institutions trying to collaborate. As always, the biggest threat may be less Skynet and more an unread Slack message.
Because nothing says “responsible innovation” like five tech giants and the Pentagon exchanging trust falls.