At a conference in Omaha, Nebraska, Air Force General Anthony J. Cotton—the man in charge of America’s nuclear arsenal—played up the importance of artificial intelligence in nuclear decision making. “We are also developing artificial intelligence or AI-enabled, human led, decision support tools to ensure our leaders are able to respond to complex, time sensitive scenarios,” Cotton said in a speech on October 27.
Cotton’s speech reflects a rush towards AI that’s happening in every other industry. Like Silicon Valley, the Pentagon is hyping up its speedy adoption of artificial intelligence. But also like Silicon Valley, the U.S. military is leaning heavy on vague buzzwords and marketing hype without explaining the specifics of how it plans to use this new technology.
Cotton is the head of America’s Strategic Air Command (STRATCOM), the portion of the U.S. military that handles the country’s nuclear bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles. He was speaking at the Defense Intelligence Information System (DoDIIS) Worldwide Conference. The conference is a chance for IT nerds and America’s military leaders to gather and talk.