The Maven Smart System and the Future of Military AI

Modern War Institute

John Amble

Government, News

4.7 • 798 Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2024

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Both military practitioners and scholars believe that artificial intelligence will influence the character of war in the future. But it’s difficult to know how it will do so exactly, particularly as we look further and further into the future. Much of what we learn about that future will come from experimentation that yields lessons not just about the tools that will become increasingly important in future military operations, but the way that militaries develop them. That makes the recent experience of the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, which operationalized an AI-enabled software called the Maven Smart System, instructive. Emmy Probasco and Igor Mikolic-Torreira of Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology had direct access to observe this innovation project, and they join this episode to extract and explore those lessons. The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It is an AI-enabled software workflow system that allows the 18th Airborne's artillery fires unit to efficiently run through an artillery fires process.
0:17.0	The lessons in an operational employment get fed right back into this 90-day cycle to keep improving and tailoring the product.
0:28.6	It's not just the tech. It's the tech plus the operations and they need to co-evolve.
0:34.6	Hey, welcome back to the Modern War Institute podcast, brought to you with the generous support
0:39.4	of the West Point Class of 1974.
0:41.8	I'm John Amble, and on this episode, I'm joined by two guests from Georgetown University's
0:46.1	Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
0:49.0	M.E. Probasco is a senior fellow there and studies military applications of artificial intelligence, and Igor
0:54.7	Mikulik Terrerra is the center's director of analysis.
0:58.4	They recently had direct access to observe as the Army's 18th Airborne Corps developed and
1:02.9	operationalized a new AI-enabled software called the Maven Smart System.
1:08.2	The capabilities of the system itself are really fascinating, but just as important,
1:12.6	is the process by which this Army command worked with tech companies to make it happen,
1:16.6	and develop the tool in a way that differs pretty dramatically from the way the Army traditionally
1:21.6	procures what it needs. We all expect AI to play a growing role in the future of warfare,
1:26.6	but we don't know exactly how yet.
1:29.4	That makes what 18th Airborne Corps did a really instructive case study as the Army prepares for that AI-enabled future.
1:36.3	I had a really interesting discussion with Emmy and Igor, which you're about to hear, but before we get to it, a couple quick things.
1:42.0	First, a very special thank you as always to the West Point Class of 1974 for their generous support to MWI. And second, what you hear
1:49.8	in this episode are the views of the participants and don't represent those of West Point,
1:53.5	the Army, or any other agency of the U.S. government. All right, I hope you enjoy the conversation.
2:09.3	Egoor and Emmy, thank you both for joining me on this episode of the MWI podcast.
	...

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