The U.S. Navy’s supreme leader said last week that artificial intelligence capabilities were already built into the U.S. fleet, but said it would likely take some time before full operational management was handed over to the AI system.
At a Navy League event in Maryland last week, Chief of Naval Operations Michael Gilday said the Navy has more than 50,000 nautical miles under its belt for “shipping in autonomous mode.”
“We have high confidence in the AI’s ability to follow rules, avoid traffic, and stay within channels when necessary,” he said. “We have made many transits from the US Gulf Coast via the Panama Canal to Port He Neime, California.”
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Destroyer Gravely will be moored in Poland in 2022 for resupply. The Navy leader has said AI will be more integrated into fleet technology, and he says AI is already being used to power ships around the world. (Omar Marquez/Getty Images)
But more work and trust is needed to make the Navy comfortable handing over direct control of ships to AI systems for complex missions, he said.
“It’s a whole other level … giving an unmanned vessel a mission and having that vessel report completion of the mission,” he said. “So this will be an iterative process.”
Gilday said he envisions incorporating AI into “minimally manned” ships for some time before becoming fully autonomous.
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Coming here in 2021, Admiral Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, said more AI capabilities are being built into the fleet. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“If you do, we need to slow down to go fast,” he said. “You have to be very careful. great respect for AIAnd we still have a lot to learn. “
Navy leaders have said for years that they support expanding the unmanned fleet, and have submitted budget plans during the Biden administration calling for a slowly shrinking manned fleet. Gilday and others say that incorporating new technology into fleets will allow navies around the world to create smaller yet smarter presences.
But many Republicans and Democrats argue that the Navy is sacrificing the strength of its current fleet to push for a new high-tech fleet that is not yet ready for construction. It has provided funding to keep the U.S. manned fleet at or near par by scrapping key elements of the Navy’s budget plan.
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The Navy has been criticized by lawmakers for moving too quickly to end manned ships in favor of building advanced, unmanned ships. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Gilday said part of the process of building a highly sophisticated fleet that incorporates AI and other technologies is working with US partner countries and companies.
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“No country can do this alone,” he said. “We welcome the industry and welcome all allies and partners to join us in this effort as we build our hybrid fleet. And while there is still much to learn, at the fleet level these We are ready to expand our operations.”
