Human-Autonomy Teaming for the Tactical Edge: The Importance of Humans in Artificial Intelligence Research and Development

The U.S. Army is currently working to integrate artificial intelligence, or AI-enabled systems, into military working teams in the form of both embodied (i.e., robotic) and embedded (i.e., computer or software) intelligent agents with the express purpose of improving performance during all phases of the mission. However, this is largely uncharted territory, making it unclear how to do this integration effectively for human-AI teams. This chapter provides an overview of the Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory’s effort to address the human as a critical gap with associated implications on effective teaming. This chapter articulates four major research thrusts critical to integrating AI-enabled systems into military operations, giving examples within these broader thrusts that are currently addressing specific research gaps. The four major research thrusts include: (1) Enabling Soldiers to predict AI; (2) Quantifying Soldier understanding for AI; (3) Soldier-guided AI adaptation; and (4) Characterizing Soldier-AI performance. These research thrusts are the organizing basis for explaining a path toward integration and effective human-autonomy teaming at the tactical edge.