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Automated target recognition (ATR) is one of the most important potential military applications of the many recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. A key obstacle to creating a successful ATR system with machine learning is the collection of high-quality labeled data sets. The authors investigated whether this obstacle could be sidestepped by training object-detection algorithms on data sets made up of high-resolution, realistic artificial images. The authors generated large quantities of artificial images of a high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) and investigated whether models trained on these images could then be used to successfully identify real images of HMMWVs. The authors obtained a clear negative result: Models trained on the artificial images performed very poorly on real images. However, they found that using the artificial images to supplement an existing data set of real images consistently results in a performance boost. Interestingly, the improvement was greatest when only a small number of real images was available. The authors suggest a novel method for boosting the performance of ATR systems in contexts where training data are scarce. Many organizations, including the U.S. government and military, are now interested in using synthetic or simulated data to improve machine learning models for a wide variety of tasks. One of the main motivations is that, in times of conflict, there may be a need to quickly create labeled data sets of adversaries' military assets in previously unencountered environments or contexts.

Artificial intelligence --- Machine learning --- Target acquisition --- Military applications --- Development. --- Computer simulation.

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A large body of academic literature describes myriad attack vectors and suggests that most of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) artificial intelligence (AI) systems are in constant peril. However, RAND researchers investigated adversarial attacks designed to hide objects (causing algorithmic false negatives) and found that many attacks are operationally infeasible to design and deploy because of high knowledge requirements and impractical attack vectors. As the researchers discuss in this report, there are tried-and-true nonadversarial techniques that can be less expensive, more practical, and often more effective. Thus, adversarial attacks against AI pose less risk to DoD applications than academic research currently implies. Nevertheless, well-designed AI systems, as well as mitigation strategies, can further weaken the risks of such attacks.