 In the past few years, the global pace of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning (ML) advancements and application domains has undergone exponential growth. Since then, these advancements have become foundational to accomplish future intelligent systems. However, the current stove-piped approach to AI/ML is ill-equipped to take advantage of these technologies in a timely and cost efficient manner. As a result, the pace of their development and application to new problems and domains across individual nations as well as NATO itself is severely limited - even in the face of large interest and need.
The ability to exploit and deploy AI/ML advancements rapidly is critical to gaining a military advantage over global peer adversaries. Therefore, the Alliance ultimately needs an appropriate infrastructure to foster research & development (R&D); and to unite AI/ML along with application domain experts. Such a new “NATO trusted Data Body” will enable an accelerated means for evaluation of new AI/ML capabilities, their effective implementation and deployment across the nations and NATO bodies.
Thus, the Information Systems Technology (IST) Exploratory Team (ET) on “Machine Learning Ecosystem for the Rapid Research, Development, and Deployment of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Capabilities” (IST-ET-112) aims at exploring the feasibility and scope of a NATO-wide machine-learning framework. Ultimately, this ET will strive to define common tools to be implemented for better exchange of state-of-the-art knowledge on rapidly evolving AI/ML technologies for the benefit of NATO and the nations.
Led by the United States, and with the collaboration of 7 NATO Nations and the NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA), the IST-ET-112 team held its kick-off meeting in the virtual space, on 14-16 July 2020, and will soon host its second meeting. For further information, please contact the IST Panel Office.
Published by IST | 
