Connectionists: Virtual Think Tank: Shaping AI and Augmented Cognition in the USAF of 2030

[Jeff Krichmar]

Dear Colleagues,

Help us catalyze and shape future major science investments of the DOD and beyond.

We have been tasked to prepare a report for the USAF leadership on how AI and Augmented Cognition should factor into USAF investments with a time horizon of a decade plus (2030). Because advances in the various relevant disciplines and technologies are occurring in a non-linear fashion, preparing such a report is extremely challenging. Without question, how the USAF operates across space, air, land and cyber will all be profoundly affected. In addition, the question of strategic surprise must be considered because other nations are investing heavily in these domains currently and where the paradigm breaking advances will occur is not readily predictable. Our goal is to have a draft report ready by June 30 and to that effect, we are convening a number of events (both face-to-face and on-line) and activities to gain input from community members. Useful input will come from across the intellectual waterfront, not just the AI, Cognitive Science and Computer Science communities. We are particularly interested in the ethical, legal and social issues associated with how AI and Augmented Cognition will play out in the US Air Force milieu. 

The primary objective of the effort is to illuminate the 2030 technology horizon for AI in the USAF context. A secondary objective is to facilitate the building of a community of USAF aligned experts who can provide continuing advice to the USAF as an external advisory board (akin to the Jasons). The final objective is to facilitate the discussions necessary to build a pipeline of technological expertise in AI to avoid or respond to strategic surprise in this area. 

If you’d like to get involved, please use this link: 

https://goo.gl/CkntHq 

to complete a 1-minute application.  

Once part of the team, you’ll be able to get more information about:

1. The asynchronous online activities, between April 10-27.
2. The three online MicroLabs (interactive online events) on April 30, May 1 and May 2.
3. The face-to-face IdeasLab workshop on May 7 - May 11.
4. The virtual components of the IdeasLab (between May 7 - May 11) for those that can?t join us in person.
5. Theˇpost-workshop review activities of the draft report between May 11 and June 8.

More information is at: https://hub.ki/groups/gmuai/overview

Sincerely, 

James Olds - Former head of the Biological Sciences Directorate at NSF and University Professor of Neuroscience and Public Policy at the Schar School, George Mason University

Stephen Fiore - Director, Cognitive Sciences Laboratory, and Professor with the University of Central Florida's Cognitive Sciences Program in the Department of Philosophy and Institute for Simulation & Training

Jeff Krichmar - Professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences and the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine

Event facilitator: Stavros Michailidis, Knowinnovation, stavros.michailidis at knowinnovation.com 
Please send an email with any questions or if there are any issues with the above links and please include USAF 2030 AI in the subject line of all event inquiries.

Jeff Krichmar
Department of Cognitive Sciences
2328 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-5100
jkrichma at uci.edu
http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma