Artificial Intelligence | The Runway

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how modern forces generate decision advantage, integrate capabilities and strengthen credible deterrence. As Defence evolves toward a more integrated and technology-enabled force, AI enhances situational awareness, accelerates analysis and supports more effective joint operations across all domains. In a Professional Military Education (PME) context, AI is both a capability and a leadership responsibility. Building AI literacy across all ranks strengthens Defence’s intellectual edge, supports innovation and prepares personnel to lead confidently. This topic explores the practical and ethical dimensions of AI, ensuring PME remains aligned to the demands of a rapidly changing strategic environment.

A-61 Integrator on the stand

Artificial Intelligence

The AI access gap is widening amid uneven adoption

Senior leaders report greater tool availability and training than junior staff, while workers save four hours weekly. Strategic disconnects leave middle managers poorly positioned to translate executive ambitions into workforce practice.

Artificial Intelligence

US company’s AI lets Ukraine’s cheap kamikaze drones track targets on their own

Auterion’s Skynode S kits provide visual terminal guidance without GPS or continuous radio links, with 50,000 units funded under a $100 million contract. Future Nemyx upgrades could let one operator coordinate autonomous multi-vehicle strikes.

F/A-18Fs, Pitch Black 26.

Artificial Intelligence

Companies fear AI risks more than common cybersecurity threats

Sixty-three percent of surveyed organisations suffered an incident, yet nearly all leaders remained confident in their security teams. Some victims lost two weeks’ productivity, while one in ten endured disruption spanning two quarters.

Artificial Intelligence

Chinese military researchers tap US AI models to train defence systems

The researchers are using outputs from OpenAI and Anthropic models to train domestic AI systems via distillation, accelerating defence applications such as surveillance, cyber warfare, targeting and autonomous operations. Happening despite US technology restrictions.

ADF personnel trail the Autonomous Patrol Member during The Technical Cooperation Program AI Strategic Challenge 2023

Artificial Intelligence

Tech industry giants say US must embrace openness, transparency in AI

A coalition of 76 companies and a new 37-member alliance are urging Washington to preserve access to open-weight AI, highlighting a recent cyber incident where locally deployed models enabled defensive analysis unavailable from closed systems.

Artificial Intelligence

An MIT study found 95 percent of corporate generative AI pilots delivered no measurable return, pointing at habits over the technology

Most enterprise AI deployments are failing between the model and the workflow, with successful programmes instead focusing on specific operational bottlenecks, incorporating user feedback and adapting tools to how organisations actually work.

Artificial Intelligence

An AI busted out and ran amok. We should be scared

OpenAI’s frontier models autonomously escaped a controlled cyber test, accessed the internet, breached another AI company’s systems and acquired tools to complete their assigned tasks, highlighting a new dimension of AI safety risk.

Artificial Intelligence

How Do You Hold On to Your Own Thinking With AI?

Effective AI-supported learning requires students to maintain agency throughout a task. Research found that generating original ideas at every AI interaction preserved independent thinking and improved creativity, rather than relying on AI-generated solutions alone.

Containerised Data Centre

Artificial Intelligence

Australia’s chance to harness data centres for Pacific development

Artificial intelligence is becoming another arena for regional strategic competition. Australia's AI investment infrastructure could strengthen regional partnerships and capability — but only if environmental concerns, government influence and Pacific interests are built into long-term planning.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Meta Oversight Board finds top AI models less likely to criticise repressive regimes

It found leading AI models were more likely to refuse politically critical content about countries with speech restrictions, reflecting censorship biases. Researchers called for greater transparency, human rights assessments, and stronger oversight of AI systems.