Some of the areas of focus of the new AI research centre will be low short learning, understanding the limits of AI models, managing various sensors, ethics, the application of AI to war gaming, and human-centric AI
The Defence Centre for AI Research is part of the UK government’s Defence AI Strategy. (Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)
The UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Alan Turing Institute have jointly formed the Defence Centre for AI Research (DCAR) with an aim to research problems pertaining to advancing artificial intelligence (AI) capability.
The Defence Centre for AI Research is part of the Defence AI Strategy, which was released by the UK government in June 2022 and the recently set up Defence AI Centre. The formation of the new AI research centre also follows the launch of the Defence Data Research Centre (DDRC) under a consortium led by the University of Exeter.
According to the Dstl, the new AI research centre will be focused on the underpinning problems related to facilitating advances in AI capability. The centre will be funded through the Ministry of Defence’s Chief Scientific Advisor.
Dstl senior principal scientist Glen Hart said: “The DCAR will be a centre of excellence which provides real focus to developing and applying AI ethically in defence contexts.”
Some of the areas of focus of the Defence Centre for AI Research will be low short learning, understanding the limits of AI models, the application of AI to war gaming, managing various sensors, ethics, and human-centric AI.
Dstl said that in several cases it is expected that outcomes of the research will not only be of interest to the defence sector but also to the larger British economy.
The Alan Turing Institute, which is Britain’s institute for AI and data science, will help the new centre by using its outreach to engage with universities across the country to bring together the best expertise.
Dstl expects the Defence Centre for AI Research to create at least five to eight new academic posts. The new roles will be filled up beginning from September 2022, with the possibility to add more.