Can Novel Foundation Models Play a Role in National Security?
The purpose of this piece is to discuss the national security implications of foundation models for policymakers and defense and intelligence (D&I) partners.
CrowdAI, the world’s most intuitive AI platform for imagery and video, today announced its selection as an institutional AI partner under a $249 million-ceiling Blanket Purchase Agreement issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). Under this agreement, CrowdAI will help build the infrastructure for data-centric AI adoption across the entire U.S. Government, placing the building blocks for faster, more scalable, and widespread adoption of trusted AI at the enterprise level.
As the first commercial computer vision vendor to support the JAIC at its inception in 2018, this agreement ensures continuity of CrowdAI’s mission-critical support to DoD efforts. The engagement will expand the DoD’s model testing and evaluation capabilities, providing the ability for analysts and operators of any technical ability to:
CrowdAI’s lifecycle AI platform puts computer vision into the hands of the analyst and allows any user to manage any step of AI development, including the ability to: label data systematically, train models efficiently, scale models iteratively, evaluate models visually, and power decisions continuously (CrowdAI Platform). As experts in unlocking the value in visual data, CrowdAI has supported the JAIC in numerous humanitarian aid and disaster relief projects, ranging from tracking wildfires in real time on MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft to assessing hurricane wind and flooding damage to physical infrastructure using satellite and aerial imagery. In 2019, the JAIC and CrowdAI published an academic paper highlighting their joint research work in this space.
“As the JAIC’s first computer vision partner, it is even more exciting now to continue our support with the JAIC 2.0 effort—an initiative focused on the cross-departmental adoption of AI in a more cohesive way. CrowdAI’s tools are the building blocks for scalable, responsible and highly performant models - keeping the U.S. ahead in the great AI race. We are thrilled to see the JAIC moving in the direction of one of CrowdAI’s foundational commitments to moving AI out of R&D to operations in a more scalable way.” - Devaki Raj, CrowdAI co-Founder and CEO