By Duwayne Escobedo, Inweekly
–Dr. Ken Ford and 14 others were named to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence and have two years to produce a report for the President and Congress on the competitiveness of American technology.
Ford, CEO and co-founder of the Florida Institute of Human & Machine Cognition, is on the elite commission chaired by Eric Schmidt, a former Google CEO, other top executives from Oracle, Amazon and Microsoft, and technology, intelligence and defense government leaders.
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2019 created the independent federal commission. It is expected to review global advances, investments, and strategies in artificial intelligence and related technology systems, evaluate foreign developments and investments in AI, and recommend steps the United States might take to support its technological edge, while ensuring national security and competitiveness.
Among its tasks, the Commission will consider military uses of AI, review “ethical considerations†that may result from advances in AI technologies, and evaluate opportunities to stimulate AI research and workforce development investments.
“I’m hoping we do something useful,†Ford said. “My contribution will mostly be as an AI researcher in a defense context.â€
A recognized pioneer in machine cognition and AI systems, Ford brings insights into groundbreaking innovations in machine learning, cyber intelligence and security, robotics, sensory substitution, and data mining.
“We move in fits and spurts,†Ford said of AI innovation. “We have quick progress and then a slowdown and other areas take the lead.â€
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said he looks forward to the final report supported by $10 million in funding. An initial report is due in 90 days, with annual reports to come in August 2019 and 2020.
“America faces incredible challenges as technological advances upend our communities, disrupt our workplaces and threaten our national security,†the Miami Republican said in a press release.