Thread by @mark_riedl

This is a problem for the DOD and has been for a long time wired.com/story/the-pent…

But it is addressable by fixing our higher education system, which is not producing enough AI/ML engineers and skewed toward a small # of elite universities.

Under the belief that there are no secret algorithms, only secret engineering, the DOD mostly needs people that can build hardened AI/ML systems (let’s ignore the question of what these systems are for for the moment).

Right now there is high demand in industry for these skills. The demand is high because when it comes to AI and ML, our education system is skewed toward a small number of elite universities that have the resources to do research and thus train graduate students in these areas.

(I can talk later about how this is turning MS students into the equivalent of BS students and turning AI PhDs into the equivalent of Masters students, but I digress)

There is no reason that our higher-ed system when it comes to AI/ML needs to be this way… except all the funding goes to the top universities.

Spreading funding for AI/ML research across a greater and more diverse range of universities will help them attract faculty

This will in turn all them to engage more BS, MS, and PhD students in AI/ML research where they will learn the skills they need. Bigger labor pool means more talent available, some of which may be enticed to DOD careers.

The DOD still needs to provide better wage structures, benefits, and work conditions. Tricky inside the federal government but not impossible.

Shutdowns are stupid, though DOD research isn’t always impacted by shutdowns. Still, unnecessary stress is… unnecessary