In Ukraine, New American Technology Won the Day. Until It Was Overwhelmed.

The New York Times ^ | April 23, 2024 | David E. Sanger

[MinorityRepublican]

The idea triggered a full-scale revolt on the Google campus.

Six years ago, the Silicon Valley giant signed a small, $9 million contract to put the skills of a few of its most innovative developers to the task of building an artificial intelligence tool that would help the military detect potential targets on the battlefield using drone footage.

Engineers and other Google employees argued that the company should have nothing to do with Project Maven, even if it was designed to help the military discern between civilians and militants.

The uproar forced the company to back out, but Project Maven didn’t die — it just moved to other contractors. Now, it has grown into an ambitious experiment being tested on the front lines in Ukraine, forming a key component of the U.S. military’s effort to funnel timely information to the soldiers fighting Russian invaders.

So far the results are mixed: Generals and commanders have a new way to put a full picture of Russia’s movements and communications into one big, user-friendly picture, employing algorithms to predict where troops are moving and where attacks might happen.

But the American experience in Ukraine has underscored how difficult it is to get 21st-century data into 19th-century trenches.

[Hiddigeigei]

"If Washington DC ultimately gets nuked, please don't act surprised."
Problem is it won't just be DC.

[mrmeyer]

Lol. Pretty much.

[ANKE69]

How old are you?🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️