IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - July 2021 - 3

MACHINE LEARNING/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR SENSOR DATA FUSION-OPPORTUNITIES
AND CHALLENGES
During Fusion 2019 Conference, leading experts presented ideas on the historical, contemporary, and future coordination
of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) with sensor data fusion (SDF). While AI/ML and SDF concepts have
had a rich history since the early 1900s-emerging from philosophy and psychology-it was not until the dawn of computers
that both AI/ML and SDF researchers initiated discussions on how mathematical techniques could be implemented
for real-time analysis. ML, and in particular deep learning, has demonstrated tremendous success in computer vision, natural
language understanding, and data analytics. As a result, ML has been proposed as the solution to many problems that
inherently include multi-modal data. For example, success in autonomous vehicles has validated the promise of ML with
SDF, but additional research is needed to explain, understand, and coordinate heterogeneous data analytics for situation
awareness. The panel identified opportunities for merging AI/ML and SDF such as computational efficiency, improved
decision making, expanding knowledge, and providing security; while highlighting challenges for multi-domain operations,
human-machine teaming, and ethical deployment strategies.
ON DIGITAL ETHICS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION FUSION IN
THE DEFENSE DOMAIN
" For knowledge itself is power... " - Francis Bacon's statement on achieving power as the meaning of all knowledge marks
the beginning of the modern project. Since the advent of AI in the defense domain, technology meant for the benefit of
humanity may turn against humanity. This specific type of instrumental knowledge makes the modern crisis as visible as in
spotlight. Ethical knowledge of man and his nature must complement Bacon's knowledge. There is an " ecology of man " :
He does not make himself; he is responsible for himselfand others. How can the data fusion community technically support
responsible use of the power we are harvesting from AI? To argue more specifically, we consider documents of the German
Bundeswehr, founded in the 1950s when the term AI was coined. Since these armed forces have learned lessons from " total
war " and tyranny, they seem conceptually prepared for mastering the digital challenge. There exist parallels to ongoing
IEEE P7000 standardization activities.
THE FUSION OF HUMAN DATA: A EUROPEAN ESSAY
Europe's democracies are in disorder. Their unease is also consequential to Europe's ubiquitous digital progress. In particular,
when citizens are permanently monitored by their mobile devices, when their behavior is controlled through continuously
fired stimuli using online media, digitization becomes a game changer for democratic societies. The continuous
tracking and tracing of the individual and the use of data fusion technologies to extract personal profiles change the image
ofman. However, if our enlightened understanding ofwhat the image ofman is shifts, we are going to change our European
democratic ruling systems and, ultimately, the rule of law in democratic states. Anyone who strives to prolongate democracy
into the digital era requires a firm political will and the sharpest weapon ofdemocracy alike: legislation through a democratically
constituted legislature.
JULY 2021
IEEE A&E SYSTEMS MAGAZINE
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IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - July 2021

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