The Defense Innovation Board recommended the five AI principles.

DoD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy announced the AI principles at a press conference on February 24.

The principles “lay the foundation for the ethical design, development, deployment, and the use of AI by the Department of Defense,” Deasy said. They apply to both combat and non-combat use of AI technologies. (C4ISRNET)

The Pentagon’s 5-point AI charter

The Defense Innovation Board recommended the principles after a 15-month study. They also pressure-tested these principles in an adversarial and hostile environment to verify their relevance against combat-AI.

1. Responsible: Apply judgment and care
2. Equitable: Minimize bias
3. Traceable: Auditable methodologies, data sources, design procedure, and documentation
4. Reliable: Safe, secure and effective AI capabilities for explicit uses
5. Governable: Fulfil intended functions, and detect and avoid unintended consequences. Ability to disengage or deactivate deployed systems that demonstrate unintended behavior

The AI principles expose the global divide on AI use

Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, the director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), drew attention to the difference in attitude towards AI between the US and its allies and hostile nations.

“My conversations with our allies and partners in Europe reveal that we have much in common regarding principles relating to the ethical and safe use of AI-enabled capabilities in military operations,” he said. “This runs in stark contrast to Russia and China, whose use of AI technology for military purposes raises serious concerns about human rights, ethics, and international norms.”

The Shanahan-headed JAIC will spearhead the implementation of the AI principles.

“This will be a rigorous process aimed at creating a continuous feedback loop to ensure the department remains current on the emerging technologies and innovations in AI,” said Shanahan.

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