21 novembre 2018 | International, C4ISR

To maintain tech edge, US seeks export controls on AI

In just two words, the phrase “artificial intelligence” captures a deep techno-utopian promise, the notion that through craftsmanship humans can create learning and thinking machines outside the processes of organic life. AI is typically the realm of technologists and science fiction writers.

Now it is also in the world of export controls prohibitions and restrictions on technologies as overseen by the Department of Commerce.

In a proposed rule announced Nov. 19, the Bureau of Industry and Security wants to set out guidelines establishing “criteria for identifying emerging technologies that are essential to U.S. national security.” The stated goals of such controls are tied to both security and protectionism for existing American industry, especially the science, technology, engineering and manufacturing sectors.

The proposed rules encompass 14 technologies, covering brain-computer interfaces to advanced surveillance technology. Nestled in that list of technologies is “artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology,” which is further broken into 11 related tools.

Here is a list of all the kinds of AI that the new rules seek to put under Commerce export controls:

Neural networks and deep learning (e.g., brain modelling, time series prediction, classification)
Evolution and genetic computation (e.g., genetic algorithms, genetic programming)
Reinforcement learning
Computer vision (e.g., object recognition, image understanding)
Expert systems (e.g., decision support systems, teaching systems)
Speech and audio processing (e.g., speech recognition and production)
Natural language processing ( e.g., machine translation)
Planning (e.g., scheduling, game playing)
Audio and video manipulation technologies (e.g., voice cloning, deepfakes)
AI cloud technologies
AI chipsets

Several of these are as much mathematical concepts, or processes, as they are distinct, controllable technologies. Others, like AI cloud technologies, suggest always-online servers, which by the very nature of the internet, are difficult to control within borders.

Tackling an entire technological field, especially one with as low a barrier to entry as coding, is a tricky proposition, even in the instances where the technology is clearly defined.

Why might the White House go through all this trouble?

“These revisions could compose an important element of a strategy of targeted countermeasures against the near-term threat posed by China's tactics for tech transfer and the long-term challenge of China's emergence as a powerhouse in innovation,” said Elsa B. Kania, adjunct fellow at the Center for New American Security.

“However, the revision of this traditional mechanism for today's challenges is inherently challenging, particularly when development is driven by commercial technologies.”

Unlike, say, controlling the components and designs of missiles in the Cold War, many of the technologies covered under these proposed rules have both commercial and military applications. We need not look abroad to find this. Project Maven, the tool Google created to process images collected from drones, was built on top of an open-source library. Identifying objects in images is hardly a military-specific task. Should companies within the United States be restricted in how they create, sell and share those same tools with researchers and commercial companies outside American borders?

“China's national strategy of military-civil fusion, which seeks to create and leverage synergies among defense, academic, and commercial technological developments in dual-use technologies, increases the ambiguity and uncertainty of tech transfer and collaboration,” Kania said.

“That is, the boundaries between defense and commercial technologies can become quite blurred as a result of the nature of these technologies and the Chinese government's strategy for their integrated development.”

Putting in place controls to hinder the free flow of AI between American companies and businesses abroad may mitigate that risk somewhat, but countries set on acquiring the tools can pursue research by other means, including technology transfers, espionage, theft through hacking, or even straightforward investment and acquisition. Staying ahead in artificial intelligence likely cannot be done through commerce restrictions alone.

“The U.S. must recognize that such controls may slow and hinder China's advances in these emerging technologies, but China's emergence as a powerhouse and would-be superpower in such emerging technologies will remain a critical long-term challenge,” Kania said. “We must not only pursue such defensive countermeasures, but also undertake a more offensive approach to ensuring future American competitiveness through investing in our own innovation ecosystem.”

https://www.c4isrnet.com/it-networks/2018/11/20/to-maintain-tech-edge-us-seeks-export-controls-on-ai

Sur le même sujet

21 décembre 2020 | International, C4ISR

LE NOUVEAU PARTENARIAT ENTRE INDRA ET THALES PERMETTRA D'OFFRIR DES COMMUNICATIONS TACTIQUES DE NOUVELLE GÉNÉRATION AUX FORCES ARMÉES ESPAGNOLES
Thales et Indra ont signé un protocole d'accord en vue de proposer un système radio tactique interarmées (JTRS) qui garantira la souveraineté et l'autonomie technologique des forces armées espagnoles • Cette offre s'inscrit dans le cadre du programme espagnol de renouvellement de son système de communications tactiques et propose de développer une solution nationale basée sur une technologie radio logicielle éprouvée • La proposition inclut également un plan pour accélérer la spécialisation de l'industrie espagnole dans les activités à valeur ajoutée et renforcer sa compétitivité globale Madrid, le 18 décembre 2020 – En réponse à la décision prise par l'Espagne en vue de renouveler les infrastructures existantes du pays, Indra et Thales, deux des principales entreprises high tech européennes dans le secteur de la défense, ont signé un protocole d'accord pour proposer ensemble aux forces armées espagnoles un système de communications tactiques de nouvelle génération. Ce système permettra notamment d'améliorer l'interopérabilité lors des missions internationales, et d'assurer la souveraineté et l'autonomie technologique des forces armées en termes de communications stratégiques. La supériorité sur l'ennemi, dans le cadre des thé'tres d'opération actuels, dépend d'un échange d'informations rapide, agile et sécurisé. Les plateformes et les véhicules, de plus en plus intelligents, sont aujourd'hui équipés de capteurs dotés d'une extrême précision, capables de collecter un fort volume de données et d'opérer en réseau avec d'autres systèmes. Les actions menées conjointement avec les forces d'autres pays se traduisent par une complexité technologique accrue sur les thé'tres. Dans ce type de scénarios : les radios logicielles (software-defined radio - SDR) constituent un facteur clé pour assurer le succès d'une armée moderne. Les forces armées les plus avancées vont se tourner vers les radios logicielles dans les prochaines années pour assurer leurs capacités de transmission, avec des échanges d'information rapides et sécurisés, et la souplesse requise pour des interopérations efficaces avec les forces alliées. Souveraineté, soutien et plan industriel pour l'industrie espagnole L'offre élaborée par Indra et Thales comprend le développement de produits et de solutions high tech en Espagne, sur la base d'une solution Thales déjà éprouvée. Les nouveaux produits s'appuieront sur sa gamme de systèmes radio SYNAPS, renforcée par de nouvelles fonctionnalités mises en œuvre avec Indra. L'expertise d'Indra et de Thales en termes de matériels et de logiciels radio, ainsi que leur expérience des opérations, permettront aux deux entreprises d'offrir aux forces armées espagnoles un soutien et des services adéquats tout au long du cycle de vie des produits. Le plan industriel qui fait partie intégrante de l'offre permettra d'accélérer la spécialisation des entreprises espagnoles dans des activités à plus forte valeur ajoutée, allant au-delà de la fabrication et l'assemblage de solutions proposées par des tierces parties. S'il est mis en œuvre, il permettra aux entreprises espagnoles d'être plus compétitives sur les marchés internationaux, avec le maintien d'emplois durables dans le pays, tout en renforçant le savoir-faire national et son autonomie technologique. Le partenariat établi entre Indra et Thales se traduira par des avantages mutuels significatifs, venant renforcer le portefeuille de solutions d'Indra, et consolider l'implantation industrielle de Thales dans le secteur de la défense en Espagne. A propos de Indra Indra est l'une des principales entreprises de consulting et de technologie au monde, et le partenaire technologique des activités stratégiques de ses clients à l'international. La société propose une offre complète de solutions propriétaires dans des segments spécifiques des marchés du transport et de la défense. Indra est un leader international dans le secteur de la défense, avec le développement des projets critiques pour la défense nationale des pays que l'entreprise accompagne, pour sa participation dans des programmes européens majeurs dans le cadre de l'OTAN, ainsi que pour ses capacités à l'export. Indra est, en Espagne, le coordinateur national du programme européen de défense NGWS/FCAS. Indra est également une entreprise de pointe dans le conseil en transformation digitale et dans les technologies de l'information, en Espagne et en Amérique latine, via sa filiale Minsait. Implantée dans 46 pays, et opérant dans plus de 140 pays, Indra a enregistré en 2019 un chiffre d'affaires de 3 204 millions d'euros avec 49 000 employés. www.indracompany.com A propos de Thales Thales (Euronext Paris : HO) est un leader mondial de hautes technologies qui façonne aujourd'hui le monde de demain. Le Groupe propose des solutions, services et produits à ses clients dans les domaines de l'aéronautique, de l'espace, du transport, de l'identité et sécurité numériques, et de la défense. Avec 83 000 collaborateurs dans 68 pays, Thales a réalisé un chiffre d'affaires de 19 milliards d'euros en 2019 (sur une base intégrant Gemalto sur 12 mois). Thales investit notamment dans les innovations numériques - connectivité, big data, intelligence artificielle et cybersécurité – technologies au cœur des moments décisifs des entreprises, des organisations et des Etats. En Espagne, avec plus de 1 400 collaborateurs, Thales apporte son expertise aux clients dans les secteurs de la défense, de l'aéronautique, de l'espace, de l'identité et sécurité numériques et du transport. Les activités de défense sont assurées via la société Thales Programas de Electrónica y Comunicaciones, basée à Leganés (Madrid). https://www.thalesgroup.com/fr/group/journaliste/press_release/le-nouveau-partenariat-entre-indra-et-thales-permettra-doffrir-des#:~:text=Madrid%2C%20le%2018%20d%C3%A9cembre%202020,proposer%20ensemble%20aux%20forces%20arm%C3%A9es
20 juin 2019 | International, Aérospatial

Raytheon and AirMap collaborate on safe drone integration into the national airspace system
Raytheon Company PARIS, June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has signed a strategic agreement with AirMap, the leading global airspace intelligence platform for drones, to collaborate on future projects to safely integrate unmanned aerial systems, commonly referred to as drones, into the national airspace system and unlock the positive economic and social benefits of expanded commercial drone operations. "AirMap is ushering in a new era in drone aviation," said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business. "Drones must safely operate in an already complex ecosystem, which is where our experience matters." The agreement combines the two companies' expertise: Raytheon's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System, or STARS, is used by air traffic controllers across the U.S. to provide safe and efficient aircraft spacing and sequencing guidance for more than 40,000 departing and arriving aircraft daily at both civilian and military airports. AirMap is the leading global provider of airspace intelligence for UAS operations, with over 250,000 registered users. In 2018, the majority of U.S. registered commercial drone pilots used AirMap to request over 45,000 automated authorizations to fly in controlled airspace. "Raytheon technology has helped safely and effectively manage airspace in the most complex, dense controlled airspace in the world for decades," said Ben Marcus, AirMap Co-founder and Chairman. "They are an ideal partner to join AirMap on the path toward enabling safe, efficient, and scalable drone operations in U.S. low-altitude airspace between 0 and 400 feet." The two companies are working toward an integrated demonstration that will showcase how AirMap's unmanned aircraft traffic management platform can increase air traffic controllers' awareness of potential conflict between drones and manned aircraft near airports to ensure overall safety of the airspace. About AirMap AirMap is the world's leading airspace intelligence platform for the drone economy. Industry developers, drone operators, and airspace managers rely on AirMap's airspace intelligence and services to fly safely and communicate in low-altitude airspace. AirMap unlocks safe, efficient, and scalable operations by connecting the world's drones to airspace authorities through an open platform of APIs and SDKs, with integrations by top drone manufacturers and solution providers including 3DR, DJI, DroneDeploy, Intel, Matternet, and senseFly. Deployed in the Czech Republic, Japan, Switzerland, the United States, and available in over 25 countries, AirMap leads the industry in delivering technology solutions for UAS Traffic Management (UTM) and U-space to enable safe and responsible drone operations at scale. AirMap supports several drone enablement and research projects globally, including NASA UTM, the European Network of U-space Demonstrators and the U.S. UAS Integration Pilot Programs. For more details visit https://airmap.com. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-and-airmap-collaborate-on-safe-drone-integration-into-the-national-airspace-system-300870910.html
3 décembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 02, 2020
NAVY Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $48,699,897 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-13-C-5116 to exercise an option for AEGIS Combat System Engineering Agent efforts for the design, development, integration, test and delivery of Advanced Capability Build 20. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by December 2021. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) $42,843,613 (88%); 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) $5,656,326 (11%); and 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) $199,958 (1%) funding will be obligated at time of award, of which, funding in the amount of $199,958 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $14,782,286 modification (P00005) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee order N00019-20-F-0460 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0031 in support of the E-6B Mercury aircraft. This modification exercises options to provide sustaining engineering support and diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages management in support of the E-6B take charge and move out airborne command post aircraft. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (80%); Patuxent River, Maryland (10%); and Bellevue, Nebraska (10%), and is expected to be completed in November 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,472,683, will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. CGI Federal Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $9,849,208 modification (P00055) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract M67004-16-C-0001 for plans and data support services. This modification extends services for a one-year period. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $4,214,671 are being obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification was not competed under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Marine Corps, Blount Island Command, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. ARMY BAE Systems Ordnance Systems, Kingsport, Tennessee, was awarded a $19,226,072 modification (P00733) to contract DAAA09-98-E-0006 to expand the landfill at Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Tennessee. Work will be performed in Kingsport, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 1, 2022. Fiscal 2021 procurement of ammunition (Army) funds in the amount of $19,226,072 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2432887/source/GovDelivery/

Toutes les nouvelles