Sep 11, 2020
Michael Kanaan has helped a wide swath of decision-makers better
grasp the nature of AI. He has a knack for expressing complex
topics in clear, accurate and succinct ways and many of us in the
national security community have already had the pleasure of
hearing from him in person or in conferences.
His book, T-Minus AI:
Humanity’s Countdown to Artificial Intelligence and the New Pursuit
of Global Power, provides context and insights in a way that
can help concerned citizens and business leaders better grasp the
issues of AI. He gives us all a call to action to learn more
because as he makes clear in the book, the countdown to AI is
actually over.
In this OODAcast we explore a bit of what makes Kanaan tick, and
dive into his motivations for this book. We discuss what citizens
should know about AI and what business leaders can do to prepare
their companies for success in the coming age.
You will find Michael to be very plain spoken. When asked to
define AI for us, he approached it in a way we have never heard
before, starting with a reminder that on the Internet CATS are
everywhere so he wants to use that as an acronym/nemonic. CATS is a
reminder to always consider that when a person is talking about AI
they may be referring to a Concept, and Application or a
Techniques. So when you hear someone talk about AI, be sure to know
which the speaker is referring to.
We especially loved at the 10 minute mark in the discussion when
he put AI into the context of the OODA loop. He thinks of AI as
best in the observe and orient side of the OODA loop, since this is
AI doing what it does best, but wants the decide and act part of
the decision process to always be a human job. We tend to
agree of course, except in use cases where humans have decided the
machines are ok to act.
We asked Michael his views on the security if AI and coming
issues of the threat and ways to mitigate threats to AI. His view:
just like building trust with humans, we need to build trust with
AI, and it will take time to do that.
Michael’s Bio:
Michael Kanaan was the first chairperson of artificial
intelligence for the U.S. Air Force, Headquarters Pentagon. In that
role, he authored and guided the research, development, and
implementation strategies for AI technology and machine learning
activities across its global operations. He is currently the
Director of Operations for Air Force / MIT Artificial Intelligence.
In recognition of his fast-rising career and broad influence, the
author was named to the 2019 Forbes “30 Under 30” list and has
received numerous other awards and prestigious honors–including
the Air Force’s 2018 General Larry O. Spencer Award for Innovation
as well as the US Government’s Arthur S. Flemming Award (an honor
shared by past recipients Neil Armstrong, Robert Gates, and
Elizabeth Dole). Kanaan is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy
and previously led a National Intelligence Campaign for Operation
Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq.
