The ASIMOV programme addresses the rising prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous technologies in both military and civilian domains. It seeks to create an automated framework for assessing how well autonomous systems perform ethically within military operational values, ensuring these technologies align with ethical principles in dynamic operational environments.
To meet ASIMOV’s objectives, Saab and MIT are developing the RESPECT (Responsible Ethical Standards for Pioneering Effective Combat Technologies) framework. This effort is led by Dr. Devesh Upadhyay and Dr. Christopher Vo from Saab and Professors Chuchu Fan and Nicholas Roy from MIT. Together, the team combines expertise in AI safety, formal methods, verification frameworks, and operational autonomy across diverse applications.
The RESPECT framework will utilise a generative modelling environment guided by large language models (LLMs) to simulate ethically challenging scenarios. This iterative approach will allow the benchmarking of ethical sensitivities, enabling autonomous systems to adapt and make decisions that are both operationally efficient and ethically sound.
Dr. Upadhyay expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, describing the ASIMOV programme as a transformative step towards ensuring that autonomous systems can operate responsibly in military environments. By exploring how these systems respond to ethically complex scenarios, the project will inform their readiness for real-world challenges.
ASIMOV’s focus is not on building autonomous systems but on developing tools and standards to evaluate them. This shared framework will provide the US Department of Defense with a systematic method to assess the ethical and operational readiness of future technologies, fostering confidence in their deployment.
The Saab-MIT partnership reflects a commitment to advancing ethical autonomy while ensuring alignment with military operational values. By setting robust benchmarks, the ASIMOV programme seeks to shape the responsible evolution of autonomous technologies for both defence and broader applications.
Source: Saab.
