Estonia pledges major investments in military AI
WASHINGTON — The Estonian Ministry of Defence has laid out big ambitions for artificial intelligence in a new defense strategy released today.
This AI pledge comes just days after Estonia’s March 18 announcement that it would increase its overall defense spending from 3.3 percent of gross domestic product — already above many other NATO nations — to 5 percent..
The new plan out of Tallinn calls for building a “digital infrastructure” for the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF), one robust enough to run “AI solutions” for everything from intelligence analysis and wartime targeting to smart logistics and back-office administration. (Pentagon plans for AI emphasize similar areas, rather than building “killer robots.”)
Estonia’s plan also prioritizes improving digital interoperability with NATO allies, closer collaboration with the nation’s thriving high-tech sector, and improving AI education for EDF personnel. It also calls for the EDF to “consider” appointing a “Chief Innovation Officer and/or a Chief Digitalisation Officer” as part of a proposed headquarters reorganization.
These castles aren’t being built on air: Funding is forthcoming, the strategy says, with a third or more of the country’s (admittedly modest) research and development budget committed to AI over the next 10 years.