Artificial Intelligence is more than just a buzz word. Its perfection has been enthusiastically pursued by researchers recently and its proposed applications have been far-reaching.

One of the areas AI could be of immense value is in the areas of security and defense, from simple video analytics programs for things like people detection and line crossing to more complex, machine learning systems that may drive tomorrow’s fully autonomous robots.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) toward the end of 2018 announced it would award more than $2 billion in funding for promising AI projects as part of its AI Next program. That program forecasted spending on areas such as autonomous drones and facial recognition.

Another initiative seeking AI-centric projects to fund is the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). A story from FedScoop says that the organization is looking to fund various projects, including autonomous systems for defense and cybersecurity.

“The center says it’s particularly interested in the topics of autonomous cyberdefense; user activity monitoring and attribution; social media and dark web analysis; DevOps techniques; network mapping; and data engineering,” the FedScoop story says. “The Pentagon is currently accepting applications to attend the meeting and plans to host it in the Northern Virginia area in late summer or early fall of 2019, according toa notice.”

Another story from Kait8 details how AI has moved into the world of railroads and running and protecting that portion of US critical infrastructure. 

“Virtual reality simulations showcase training for drones that can zero in on hairline fractures along a track,” the story reads. “The whizzing tools from up above can detect minor defects so small, better than the human eye.”

The story also notes that an AI-driven system called Positive Train Control can monitor and adjust train speed for safety is in effect in many areas and helps to keep passengers safe.

Finally, another recent story, this one from ScienceDaily, notes that AI is also being used to predict and warn of adverse weather conditions, protecting lives and property.

“In their study, the researchers worked with Wistar and other AccuWeather meteorologists to analyze more than 50,000 historical U.S. weather satellite images. In them, experts identified and labeled the shape and motion of “comma-shaped” clouds. These cloud patterns are strongly associated with cyclone formations, which can lead to severe weather events including hail, thunderstorms, high winds and blizzards,” The story says. “Then, using computer vision and machine learning techniques, the researchers taught computers to automatically recognize and detect comma-shaped clouds in satellite images. The computers can then assist experts by pointing out in real time where, in an ocean of data, could they focus their attention in order to detect the onset of severe weather.”

AI will certainly change just about everything, and you can be certain that the technology experts here at Norris will help to keep you informed of what’s new and relevant in the world of life-safety and security.

What is Norris all about?

Norris, Inc.—a South Portland, Maine-based life-safety and security systems integrator with satellite offices in Bangor, Maine; Lee, New Hampshire; and Burlington, Vermont—was founded nearly 40 years ago by two brothers, Brad and Harty Norris. The brothers remain on the board of directors today and continue to help steer the enterprise toward its goal of advancing life-safety, security, and communications while striving to grow in its status as Northern New England’s leading systems integrator. Norris provides fully integrated life-safety and security solutions, comprising disparate systems including fire alarm, intrusion detection, access control, video surveillance, communications, and emergency notification and total systems integration via the Vigilance Systems Integration Engine and ENS. Want to become part of the Norris family? We’re hiring!