The U.S. Army’s 18th Airborne Corps can now target artillery just as efficiently as the best unit in recent American history—and it can do so with two thousand fewer servicemembers. This report presents a case study of how the 18th Airborne partnered with tech companies to develop, prototype, and operationalize software and artificial intelligence for clear military advantage. The lessons learned form recommendations to the U.S. Department of Defense as it pushes to further develop and adopt AI and other new technologies.

CSET hosted a half-day conference on August 29, 2024 featuring distinguished speakers who discussed the military’s application of AI and software. The conference covered the results of a joint project with the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and CSET. Additionally, we presented the resulting paper: "Building the Tech Coalition: How Project Maven and the U.S. 18th Airborne Corps Operationalized Software and Artificial Intelligence for the Department of Defense."

Ngor Luong and Zachary Arnold provided their expert insights in an article published by Nature that discusses new data from PARAT, the Private-sector AI-Related Activity Tracker.

The U.S. government has an opportunity to seize strategic advantages by working with the remote sensing and data analysis industries. Both grew rapidly over the last decade alongside technology improvements, cheaper space launch, new investment-based business models, and stable regulation. From new sensors to new orbits, the intelligence community and regulators have recognized these changes and opportunities—the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and other agencies should follow suit.

In a segment in the Lawfare Daily Podcast, Sam Bresnick provides his expert analysis on the state of Chinese military AI according to PRC defense experts.

In an article published by The Economist that discusses the adoption of advanced technology and artificial intelligence in militaries, CSET Research Fellow, Sam Bresnick, provided his expert insights.

While the effects of the U.S. Department of Defense’s broad investments in research and development go far beyond what is publicly disclosed, authors affiliated with the DOD do publish papers about their research. This analysis examines more than 100,000 papers by DOD-affiliated authors since 2000 and offers insight into the patterns of research publication and collaboration by the DOD.

China’s leadership believes that artificial intelligence will play a central role in future wars. However, the author's comprehensive review of dozens of Chinese-language journal articles about AI and warfare reveals that Chinese defense experts claim that Beijing is facing several technological challenges that may hinder its ability to capitalize on the advantages provided by military AI. This report outlines these perceived barriers and identifies several technologies that Chinese experts believe may help the country develop and deploy military AI-enabled systems.

In their op-ed featured in The Wire China, CSET's Ngor Luong, Sam Bresnick, and Kathleen Curlee provide their expert analysis on the changing landscape for U.S. big tech companies in China.

In their op-ed featured in Breaking Defense, CSET's Sam Bresnick and Emelia Probasco provide their expert analysis on the involvement of US tech giants in conflicts, such as the Ukraine war, and raise important questions about their role and potential entanglements in future conflicts, particularly those involving Taiwan.