A New Question For The Battlefield: Experts Or Machine Learning?
Written by: Chris Ericksen, CRO, Klas Telecom Government
This question was explored recently when it comes to chess. (link:https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a30921134/ai-computer-chess/)
It was Stockfish which was written by computer scientists and chess grandmasters with significant compute behind it vs. AlphaZero with 1/100th the ability per second with just the basic rules of the game programmed. AlphaZero was allowed to play itself and learn what works best. The results are undeniable, after 100 matches between Stockfish and AlphaZero, AlphaZero won all of them, with new and unique moves the grandmasters had never seen. This is important for the battlefield, often times we think that we need the same kind of expertise and power at the tactical edge as we do in the large data centers, but technology allows for a more elegant solution. Klas Telecom is focused on delivering the right amount of compute power in a mobile footprint that scales up and down based on the mission need. Coupled with optimized machine learning-based applications, this will enable the edge to be far more capable than ever before and will allow commanders the ability to see data in ways which will open up the ability to deliver on the idea of asymmetric warfare in an age of near-peer adversaries in many measurable ways.
General David Goldfein and General Jay Raymond recently wrote about the goal (https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/02/27/americas-future-battle-network-is-key-to-multidomain-defense/) of delivering this kind of technology to bring the battlefield together and give the executing commanders the ability to truly collaborate in a way that has never been available before. These kinds of capabilities require technology at the edge that’s not only capable to support the applications but do so in hostile environments where HVAC isn’t available, where rack mount gear isn’t feasible and where SWAP is at a premium. That’s where Klas Telecom comes in to extend capabilities in a scalable way to the tactical edge. The vision of Generals Goldfein and Raymond is exciting and will change the way the troops operate, with the right tools at their disposal, they should have the same winning record as AlphaZero!