Speaking at the Centre for Army Leadership’s annual conference, Brig Richard Byfield said the principles of AI were all learnable and therefore not something personnel could “opt out of”.
“It’s no longer acceptable to say, ‘but I can barely understand Excel’,” the senior officer told delegates at London’s Chatham House. “Foundational AI literacy is a requirement of command, and the learning opportunities already exist – there’s lots of stuff on the digital skills portal and the Defnet SharePoint.
“DSTL provide books and advice and there are tech symposiums and forums like this.
“We’re developing training for the army, but most importantly, we must use the serving experts we already have inside defence.
“We have people with master’s degrees and PhDs in AI.
“We must learn the functionality behind the product, not just the interface, and be able to critically evaluate outputs.”
Expertise was not restricted by cap badge or rank, the officer went on, and only by properly understanding the tech’s capabilities and limitations would commanders be able to ensure it is used effectively and ethically.
Brig Byfield was among 15 speakers and panellists at the AI-themed conference, which explored the evolving relationship between the tech and leadership on ops and in barracks, as well as opportunities and challenges.
Some 400 projects involving AI are currently active across defence, including work to create a new data network that improves targeting precision and decision-making under Project Asgard (Soldier, August – pictured).
Army Sergeant Major, WO1 John Miller, said soldiers should view AI as a new teammate who they need to understand, integrate and train. But he stressed leadership would remain essentially human.
“The best leaders in future will see AI as an extension of their senses, not a removal of their judgement, empathy and courage,” he added. “In the next 20-30 years, the most powerful weapon will not be a machine, but the mind that knows how to use one.”
