This blog post recounts the development of a Python-based data collection pipeline project completed in the summer of 2024 by CSET inaugural intern Jordan Monts. During his project research and work, he used the Requests and BeautifulSoup libraries to create a two-part system to gather and process web data, support ongoing research initiatives, and strengthen his skills in data processing as well as application programming interface (API) management.

This blog post analyzes five major Chinese AI governance proposals, focusing on the key actors specified in each proposal. We find that older proposals lack specificity when identifying AI governance actors. Recent proposals, on the other hand, assign roles and responsibilities to a defined set of actors. The findings from this blog post can help policymakers and analysts better understand China’s fast-evolving AI governance landscape.

A CSET report was highlighted in an article by DefenseOne. The article discusses new findings suggesting that the Pentagon may have discovered how to quickly and cost-effectively acquire technology, particularly in the realm of AI-driven capabilities.

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.