Air Force Secretary: Accountability is a Must to Build Confidence, Trust in AI

Holding humans accountable for the misuse of artificial intelligence during conflicts is a way to build trust and confidence in the technology, according to a Department of the Air Force official.

At a panel discussion at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the challenge with AI use is not how to enforce laws against machines, but making people working behind the technology accountable for what it does.

With the growing use of AI in military operations, several federal agencies have released their regulations on its use. In 2020, the Department of Defense released a series of ethical AI principles to ensure its responsible use and followed it up with a new version of its decades-old autonomous weapon policy in February, Nextgov/FCW reported.

Apart from ensuring the responsible use of AI in operations, the Defense Department also ensures everyone in its workforce has a foundational understanding of emerging technologies. It launched in November the Digital On-Demand education program, providing service members and civilian employees access to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Horizon’s learning materials.