The Army Research Laboratory is building a new service to study the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence (AI) and determine the learning methods that benefit both soldiers and tech, according to an April 20 presolicitation.
The lab seeks Human-Agent Teaming Research and Engineering Services to further the Army’s understanding of how artificial intelligence learn how to interact with human soldiers and aid collaborative decision-making.
Intelligent technology will, according to the presolicitation, process and store more data than humans, outnumber humans, access environments that humans cannot, and react at superhuman speeds. While the laboratory points out that AI lacks human common sense and flexibility, the presolicitation acknowledges that intelligent tech will change how soldiers perform. Soldiers, therefore, must be equipped to adapt to these changes.
“This improved decision making and problem solving will directly lead to improved crew member/team interactions with AI technologies and enhanced team performance across several modernization priorities,” the Army Research Laboratory wrote in the presolicitation.
The “integrated concept development” that comes out of these studies will also inform the Army’s “operational effectively of new doctrinal methods,” such as the effects of AI training on soldiers, to help teams outperform and out-adapt adversarial AI. Ultimately, the Army Research Laboratory aims to help human soldiers adapt to working with emerging tech, the agency wrote.
“The efforts described here focus on developing approaches to allow soldiers to simultaneously operate these advanced and AI technologies without being overburdened or otherwise unable to perform,” the presolicitation states. “More specifically, the tasks described here will support fundamental research in support of the Army’s goal to develop and field systems requiring soldiers to team with AI technologies.”
The Army Research Laboratory plans to accomplish that goal by improving the exchange of information between soldiers, tech systems, and the environment.
The Army is accepting responses to its presolicitation until May 5.
