On August 1, the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) launched an AI Exploration funding opportunity. The
program closes at 4:00 p.m. on July 31, 2020.
The mission of the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency is to make strategic, early investments in science and
technology that will have long-term positive impact on our nation’s security.
In support of this mission, DARPA has pioneered groundbreaking research and
development (R&D) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for more than five
decades. Today, DARPA continues to lead innovation in AI research through a
large, diverse portfolio of fundamental and applied R&D AI programs aimed
at shaping a future for AI technology where machines may serve as trusted and
collaborative partners in solving problems of importance to national security.
The AI Exploration (AIE) program is one key element of DARPA’s broader AI
investment strategy that will help ensure the U.S. maintains a technological
advantage in this critical area.
Past DARPA AI investments facilitated the
advancement of “first wave” (rule based) and “second wave” (statistical
learning based) AI technologies. DARPA-funded R&D enabled some of the first
successes in AI, such as expert systems and search, and more recently has
advanced machine learning algorithms and hardware. DARPA is now interested in
researching and developing “third wave” AI theory and applications that address
the limitations of first and second wave technologies.
The pace of discovery in AI science and
technology is accelerating worldwide. AIE will enable DARPA to fund pioneering
AI research to discover new areas where R&D programs awarded through this
new approach may be able to advance the state of the art. AIE will enable DARPA
to go from idea inception to exploration in fewer than 90 days.
To enable this approach, DARPA will issue AIE
Opportunities. These AIE Opportunities will focus on technical domains
important to DARPA’s goals in pursuing disruptive third wave AI research
concepts. More information about DARPA’s current AI technical domains and
research topics of interest may be found on http://www.darpa.mil under individual offices opportunities
page.
Current Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are being successfully exploited to achieve powerful new capabilities. DARPA seeks to invest in focused explorations of what the AI science and technologies of the future could be. DARPA’s AI Exploration (AIE) program will enable exploratory research on a range of AI related topics that will be periodically solicited as AIE Opportunities through publication of Pre-Solicitation Notices on FedBizOpps. It is DARPA’s intent to make awards for future AIE Opportunities within 90 days of posting on FedBizOpps.
Full information is available here.
Source: FedBizOpps
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