The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has launched a funding competition on the role AI can play in the Ministry of Defence’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities.
Named Scoping out the Grey Zone, it is being run as part of the Artificial Intelligence Programme within the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory and is aimed at the sub-threshold information environment – which covers all activity up to but not crossing the legal definition of armed conflict.
It involves humans and automated systems observing and acting on data from physical, virtual and cognitive dimensions.
DASA said it seeking ideas that can help the defence sector to: apply AI to identify sub-threshold but hostile actions; to understand their intent and attribution; and generate possible courses of action.
The competition has three challenge areas: indicators and warnings; intent and attribution; and courses of action.
DASA is looking to fund proposals up to the £300,000, with a total of £800,000, over six months to be completed by March 2024. The deadline is 6 June.
