An Optimization Perspective on Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the common label for a wide selection of algorithms that sometimes find their way into unmanned vehicles and modern weapon systems. Due to Hollywood movies and other parts of the popular science fiction culture, most people do not know what to expect form these algorithms. This fact is unsatisfactory, both from an operator and from a decision maker point of view. The purpose of this report is to provide a tool that facilitates a clear and transparent view of the limitations and capabilities of AI algorithms. This tool is a set of questions to be answered by the supplier of a military AI system. After stating the questions, the rest of the report is aimed at motivating them, and at giving interpretations of possible answers. All questions originate from the observation that AI and optimization theory have a lot in common, and viewing an AI-method as an optimization algorithm enables a clearer view of its advantages and drawbacks.