The CEO of a prominent AI company called for the faster adoption of powerful software, particularly by the military, to address growing global threats.
Speaking Tuesday at an Axios event in National Harbor, Maryland, on AI’s emerging defense capabilities, Sean Moriarty, CEO of artificial intelligence and data analysis firm PrimerAI, urged the Defense Department to accelerate its efforts to adapt to the rapidly changing threat landscape by taking advantage of existing technology.
The commercial world is far ahead of the government in the world of artificial intelligence, Moriarty said at the event, which was just a short walk away from the Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference.
“The gap is enormous,” he said.
The significant divide is between what’s available and what’s being used, he explained.
PrimerAI creates AI products that help users, including the U.S. government and commercial companies, parse through and analyze information.
Notably, the company’s technology proved adept at identifying misleading or false information that spread rapidly online in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The events of Oct. 7 underscored the complexity and dangers of the world, Moriarty said at Tuesday’s event. While the world has always been perilous, he argued, challenges were compounded by the nonstop flow of information, misinformation and disinformation.
AI was a useful tool in helping the US government mitigate this constant stream, Moriarty said, with the ability to uncover the truth and then use it to drive action.
He expressed hope AI could help the Defense Department prevent the spread of distorted facts, but acknowledged that, if prevention isn’t possible, containing misinformation and disinformation was a viable outcome.
If there’s hesitation about relying on technology to make important decisions, Moriarty argued, people should consider the trust they’ve already placed in machines such as calculators, autopilot systems and software.
Regardless, Moriarity noted adopting AI technology will require a collective Defense Department approach — a challenging task to implement. He wondered what could realistically bring about the change he believes the department urgently needs.
“If you look at the nation’s finest hours, it’s typically been on the receiving end of some profoundly negative externality which gave us no choice but to respond to the threat,” Moriarty said. “I think the big challenge upon us now is we recognize the world is increasingly dangerous. Can we actually get ahead, or is the necessary forcing function a terrible event which allows us to just rip out these barriers to innovation and response?”
The right conversations are happening, according to Moriarty, but the country needs to move faster.
“People are singing from the same song sheet and it is the right song,” he said.
Riley Ceder is an editorial fellow at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice and human interest stories. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the ongoing Abused by the Badge investigation.
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