Can the Army's robotics programs build AI the Silicon Valley way? - Breaking Defense

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Cost overruns and schedule slips abound in the defense business, but at least the Pentagon has plenty of experience building physical weapons. By contrast, training AI algorithms takes very different skills, which the Defense Department and its traditional contractors largely lack.
That’s why it’s worth noting that, this morning, a small Silicon Valley company called Applied Intuition announced it had won a contract — brokered by the Pentagon’s embassy in the Valley, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), using its streamlined Commercial Solutions Opening process — to provide software tools for the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle program (RCV). (This contract complements the Army’s existing deals with Qinetiq and Textron to build prototypes). While pocket change by Pentagon procurement standards, with a maximum spend of $49 million over two years, Applied’s contract could help bring private-sector innovation in self-driving vehicles to the armed forces.