Washington: In a move aimed at boosting Artificial Intelligence, the US Department of Defence is juggling more than 685 artificial intelligence projects, including some associated with major weapon systems, like the MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

Artificial intelligence ventures are underway across several services and combatant commands, with the US Army leading the pack, according to a list published last week by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal auditor of agencies and programs.

At least 232 projects are being handled by the Army. The Marine Corps, on the other hand, is dealing with at least 33.

For combat purposes, in particular, the Pentagon is focused on AI abilities that aid target recognition, battlefield analysis and autonomy aboard uncrewed systems. For example, the Joint AI Centre is working on a smart sensor, which aims to identify threats and relay footage to analysts, while the Navy is developing the Undersea Warfare Decision Support System, meant to help plan and execute undersea missions.

While the project tally publicized this month does not offer the most exacting look at Pentagon AI projects — it only includes those funded via procurement and research and development — it does underline just how consequential AI will be for the industry and troops of the future.

“AI capabilities will enable machines to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as drawing conclusions and making predictions,” GAO wrote in a  memo to Senate Armed Services Committee leadership.