National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) Releases Final Report and Recommendations
Posted March 09, 2021
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) released its final report of recommendations on how the federal government can further advance artificial intelligence (AI) to address the national security and defense challenges facing the country. Established in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), NSCAI is an independent Commission with members representing industry, academia, and civil society organizations that seeks to develop policy recommendations that advance the development of AI and ensure that it strengthens the American workforce, industry, innovation, values, and national security. HFES advocated for NSCAI’s creation in the FY 2019 NDAA and has engaged with Congress and the federal agencies on a number of occasions regarding important HF/E issues that must be addressed in AI R&D.
The Commission acknowledged that there is much more to learn about the world of AI, but that we do know two basis convictions: AI is world altering, “dual-use” technology that will enrich the human experience, and that the expansion of AI also leads to the expansion of the window of vulnerability for the U.S. With these convictions, the Commission states that the country must act now to invest more resources in AI innovation, specifically $32 billion per year by 2026, and develop a change in mindset towards the technology in order to win the AI race that the country is currently not investing or organizing to win. The report is presented in a two-pronged approach with more specific recommendations as subtopics:
- Part I: Defending America in the AI Era
- Defend against emerging AI-enabled threats to America’s free and open society.
- Prepare for future warfare.
- Manage risks associated with AI-enabled and autonomous weapons.
- Transform national intelligence.
- Scale up digital talent in government.
- Establish justified confidence in AI systems.
- Present a democratic model of AI use for national security.
- Part II: Winning the Technology Competition
- Organize with a White House–led strategy for technology competition.
- Win the global talent competition.
- Accelerate AI innovation at home.
- Implement comprehensive intellectual property (IP) policies and regimes.
- Build a resilient domestic base for designing and fabricating microelectronics.
- Protect America’s technology advantages.
- Build a favorable international technology order.
- Maintain competitiveness in other key critical technologies including biotechnology, next generation wireless, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, energy storage, quantum science, microelectronics, and robotics.
NSCAI’s report highlights “Human-AI Teaming” as a key challenge that the government and science and technology community will have to solve, and calls for the government to continue addressing the challenge “by studying issues of delegated authority, observability, predictability, directability, and trust.” Other key highlights include recommendations to:
- Double funding for non-defense AI R&D, with $2 billion dollars in fiscal year (FY) 2022 while ultimately investing $32 billion in FY 2026.
- Develop a framework for federal agencies entitled “Key Considerations for Responsible Development & Fielding of Artificial Intelligence.” These considerations were partially influenced by the Defense Innovation Board’s recommendations for ethical AI, which was later adopted by the Department of Defense (DOD). One of the pillars of this document focuses on Human-AI interactions and discusses many concerns relevant to HF/E and AI such as AI bias, AI explainability, designing systems that can give cues to an AI system’s confidence in a decision, and training developers and operators of AI systems to better understand AI.
- Develop a Technology Annex to the National Defense Strategy for technologies critical to meeting DOD’s operational needs. NSCAI recommends that DOD should take into consideration “human factor elements associated with priority technical capabilities.” The draft legislative proposal for this recommendation includes language to consider “human factor elements associated with priority technical capabilities, including innovative human-centric approaches to user interface, human-machine teaming, and workflow integration.”
Some of NSCAI’s recommendations from interim reports over the last year, especially pertaining to developing AI talent, were included in the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It is likely that many of NSCAI’s recommendations may be taken up in a future NDAA, actions by the Biden Administration, or in President Biden’s FY 2022 budget request.
Sources and Additional Information:
- The full final report from NSCAI can be found here.
- A table of NSCAI’s recommendations can be found here.
- NSCAI’s legislative proposals can be found here.
- Information on the NSCAI Commissioners can be found here.
- HFES previously submitted comments to the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) which advised the Department of Defense on principles for the ethical and responsible use of AI. HFES’s comments can be found here.