New DND strategy warns Canadian military's approach to artificial intelligence 'fragmented'

Canada's defence department and military are approaching the implementation and use of artificial intelligence in a «fragmented,» unco-ordinated manner, says a newly prepared federal strategy.

The long-awaited overview of how to deal with rapidly evolving machine-learning technology is being met with mixed reviews by some high-tech and civil society experts who had been expecting more clarity on where the country stands and how far it's prepared to go.

The strategy is candid, saying neither the Department of National Defence (DND) nor the Canadian Armed Forces is «positioned to adopt and take advantage of AI.»

The report described initiatives as «fragmented, with each command and environment addressing AI independently» and expertise scattered throughout the institution.

«No roadmap exists to move the organization toward leveraging AI effectively to ensure that investments are co-ordinated and appropriately governed, or to develop the capabilities, attitude and skills to implement AI effectively, safely and responsibly,» the report said.

The document, which was recently released with no public fanfare, recommends following the lead of allies by establishing an internal defence department centre that «will act as a hub of AI expertise and an accelerator for experimentation, testing, evaluation and fielding AI.»

The Royal Canadian Navy has been at the forefront of experimenting with the technology, asking Defence Research and Development Canada Centre more than six years ago to set up an AI system that could predict machinery failures on warships, the strategy noted.

«The [AI] system's performance was not perfect, with false positives also produced, but the initial results were promising enough to warrant further testing,» the