Tools Are Not Strategies: A Short Guide on Artificial Intelligence for Defense Professionals
Jules Hurst | 03.19.21
Humans have a tendency to treat emerging technologies as catch-all solutions to endemic problems. Information technology companies actively reinforce this notion in their marketing. Google, Amazon, IBM, and other firms do not just offer software and hardware, they offer “solutions.†Unfortunately, technologies are never solutions in isolation. Technologies are tools and these tools (should) form part of an organization’s strategic approach to solving enduring problems. They are not solutions on their own, and they are certainly not strategies.
Selecting the wrong tool—or even the right tool’s misapplication—does more harm than just squandering resources. The use of one technological tool prevents use of another because of the time and money it takes to incorporate it into workflows, train staff on its use and maintenance, and acquire equipment or services that support it. Opportunity costs are substantial.
As defense leaders look toward artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to address organizational problems, they must know more than the hype. They must be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of AI/ML techniques, consider other tools and steps to solve their issues, and understand the resources required to implement AI/ML tools into approaches. AI/ML algorithms can have great effects on organizational processes, but only if their strengths align against issues within those processes. Even then, AI/ML algorithms may not be the best tool for the task.
https://mwi.usma.edu/tools-are-not-strategies-a-short-guide-on-artificial-intelligence-for-defense-professionals/
