BETTER COMMAND OF THE BATTLEFIELD – A service member from the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Utah National Guard, prepares for Exercise Hydra, May 8, 2025, at the Utah Test and Training Range. With the One World Terrain program, AI can automate tactical adjustments and suggest real-time tactical shifts based on evolving battle conditions. (Photo by Jaycee Baker, 151st Wing Air National Guard)
The Institute for Creative Technologies is helping the Army make the most of AI in future warfare.
Just as steam engines and electricity once transformed industry, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing warfare—reshaping training, decision-making and cyber operations. The challenge, though, isn’t just in developing and deploying AI, it’s also in preparing our personnel to effectively work alongside it.
The conflict of the future will continue to be fought with weapons, but it will also require data, algorithms and intelligent automation, as well as the people who use them. The Army must prepare for a battlespace where AI-driven cyberattacks, battlefield decision-making and AI-based wargaming tactics are the norm—and they must prepare Soldiers and support staff for its use through immersive, personalized and, yes, AI-enabled training programs and tools.
Founded in 1999, and sponsored by the U.S. Army, the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), at the University of Southern California (USC), is a Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center that is researching new simulations and learning technologies across all branches of service, including AI in all its forms. As the Army program manager for ICT, I have urged our labs to focus on AI almost exclusively over the past year—because it’s what the military urgently needs to prepare for the future of warfare. They needed no encouragement, as AI and machine learning are now functionally part of every operational software system and every development environment within the Army. In fact, it was recently reported that roughly 30% of Microsoft’s code is AI written and their largest products are cloud services for AI items. Microsoft expects 95% of all code to be AI generated by 2030.
THE NEED FOR AI EDUCATION IN THE MILITARY
AI literacy is not optional—it’s a mission-critical necessity. We’re not just competing for technological superiority; we’re ensuring our warfighters can wield these tools effectively. Many Soldiers and officers have only a surface-level understanding of AI, yet they will soon depend on it for everything from logistics to battlefield decision-making. Incorporating AI into military education curricula will ensure that future personnel possess the knowledge to effectively utilize their own tools and mitigate AI-enabled threats in both cyber and physical domains.
To that end, through the U.S. Army Research Office, the Artificial Intelligence Research Center of Excellence for Education (AIRCOEE) was established in 2023. AIRCOEE uses a three-pronged approach to address this knowledge gap by providing 1) adaptive AI tutors that can personalize training for each Soldier, 2) AI-accelerated tools that can update training materials as the Army innovates and 3) AI-assisted reasoning tools that can refine critical thinking skills. This work is not theoretical—it’s being deployed across the force today through the following tools:
PAL3: An AI Tutor for Warfighters
One of our most impactful tools is Personal Assistant for Life Long Learning (PAL3). Designed for delivering continuous learning, it’s an AI-driven tutor that provides interactive dialogues, coding hints and self-regulated learning support. It was previously used to maintain electronics-technician skills for sailors. Unlike traditional training, PAL3 prevents skill decay and keeps Soldiers AI-proficient between formal instruction sessions with interactive training resources that adapt in real-time. During an ongoing pilot program conducted as part of the USC Basics of Artificial Intelligence course in 2024, 200-plus students reported significant learning improvements. PAL3 is available through Google Play and the Apple App Store.
ARC: AI-Assisted Curriculum Updates
Doctrine and best practices evolve rapidly, but updating military curricula is slow and resource intensive. AI-Assisted Revisions for Curricula (ARC) was developed to automatically flag outdated content in training materials. Although it was originally slated for two test sites, there was sufficient demand such that ARC is now in use at seven Army training centers, including the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and the U.S. Army Medical Command. Instructors rate ARC’s productivity impact at 5.5 out of 6. It is a program that can change training curricula and requirements on demand, and those changes are then uploaded into PAL3 for delivery to students.
AWE: AI for Military Writing and Critical Thinking
Clear communication is as vital as firepower, but being able to clearly communicate is a learned skill. The Army Writing Enhancement (AWE) tool is an AI-powered assistant that guides Soldiers through argument construction and improves their writing. Unlike generative AI tools that do the writing for you, AWE coaches Soldiers before and after they write, enhancing both their thinking and communication skills. The system was initially tested at Fort Leavenworth, and AWE is now set for a 1,000-Soldier study in the fall of 2025, with early users reporting persistent improvements in writing clarity.
CYBER IS CENTER STAGE – Civilian professionals at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, are learning, in 2025, that leadership in today’s Army doesn’t just rely on experience and instinct—it also depends on the ability to adapt to rapidly evolving technology. (Photo by Edward Muniz, Fort Sill Public Affairs)
A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD: AI-DRIVEN CYBERSECURITY
Modern warfare is increasingly fought in the digital domain, where cyberattacks can cripple infrastructure, compromise sensitive information and disrupt military operations. AI is playing a dual role in this space—as both a powerful tool for cyber defense and a potential threat when weaponized by adversaries. Cyberattacks today are evolving at machine speed. While traditional cybersecurity systems rely on human analysts to identify and mitigate threats, AI enables us to detect, analyze and neutralize threats faster than ever before.
The Social Simulation Lab at ICT, which models and simulates human social and cultural behaviors with AI systems, has achieved an 80% accuracy in our ability to detect AI-assisted decision-making in defensive cyber operations. This capability is vital because many cyberattacks now use AI to evade detection, exploit vulnerabilities and automate large-scale network breaches. AI-driven cybersecurity systems can identify anomalous behavior by scanning massive datasets in real-time to flag unusual activity that may indicate a cyberattack. AI-driven cybersecurity systems can also automate threat mitigation by first detecting threats and then isolating compromised systems, deploying countermeasures and preventing further infiltration before human intervention is required. AI-driven cybersecurity systems can also enhance deception techniques by creating decoy networks and faking data to mislead adversaries, buying valuable time for defenders.
CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS – U.S. Army Pfc. Luis Ramos, a signal operations support specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, III Armored Corps, verifies digital connectivity during Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Command Post Exercise II at Fort Cavazos, Texas, on February 24, 2025. In a battlefield environment, the signal element is crucial for higher echelons of command to communicate with their subordinate units. (Photo by Pfc. Ariana Smith, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
As the Army integrates AI into its cyber defense systems, we must also prepare for adversaries who are leveraging similar technologies so we can use AI to go on the offensive. AI-powered cyberattacks are increasingly sophisticated, with the ability to launch adaptive phishing attacks that analyze human behavior and then craft highly convincing phishing emails that bypass traditional security measures. AI-powered cyberattacks automate zero-day exploits that autonomously discover and exploit software vulnerabilities before they can be patched and also use deepfake technology to manipulate battlefield communications, impersonate leadership and spread disinformation at an unprecedented scale.
AI IN BATTLEFIELD DECISION-MAKING
Future military operations will rely heavily on AI-assisted command and control systems. These will be able to predict enemy movements, optimize logistics and supply chains and enhance reconnaissance and surveillance. AI can analyze battlefield intelligence and historical data to generate real-time threat assessments. ICT directly utilizes this technology area to create digital red forces (representing the enemy) to predict and train against. A project is expected to begin in fiscal year 2026 to combine this capability, while also optimizing logistics and supply needs of the warfighters. AI ensures that troops receive supplies at the right time and place. Essentially, you have to model their movements before you can model the necessary logistics support for your own troops. Lastly, AI-powered drones can provide continuous battlefield intelligence.
AI INTEGRATION – AI is revolutionizing warfare—reshaping everything from training to decision-making to cyber operations. (Photo by googledeepmind, Pexels)
ICT has a long history of interpretating satellite imagery and digital three-dimensional (3D) recreation of the battlefield in the form of its contributions that helped start the program of record, One World Terrain, under the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation. AI can automate tactical adjustments and suggest real-time tactical shifts based on evolving battle conditions.
WAR GAMES FOR THE DIGITAL AGE
To prepare for AI-driven cyber warfare, ICT has developed three strategic cyber games that enhance cyber defense training and are used by cyber professionals worldwide.
1. CounterNet – A single-player counterterrorism game that teaches Soldiers how to track and disrupt online terrorist networks.
2. Balance of Terror – A two-player strategy game where one side plays as the state and the other as a terrorist organization, teaching players how to balance stability, legitimacy and counterterrorism strategies.
3. Dark Networks – A social network analysis simulation that demonstrates how terrorist organizations structure themselves and how those structures can be disrupted.
A few of ICT’s games have also become part of the Naval Postgraduate School Global ECCO (Education Community Collaboration Online) suite of training tools.
CONCLUSION
The AI revolution in military operations is not a distant possibility—it is happening now. From AI-powered training tools to cybersecurity defenses and autonomous combat systems, the Army is embracing AI to enhance readiness, improve decision-making and secure national defense. However, as AI’s capabilities expand, so do threats. Our adversaries are investing in AI-driven cyber warfare, autonomous weapons and disinformation campaigns. Staying ahead requires continuous innovation, rigorous AI training for Soldiers and strategic partnerships with industry and academia. By integrating AI into every facet of military operations, the Army is not just responding to modern warfare’s challenges, it is shaping the future battlespace. AI is not replacing Soldiers, it is empowering them to fight smarter, faster and more effectively. While AI-enhanced training and cybersecurity tools have already made an impact, there’s still much work to be done.
The Army’s next priorities should include: 1) scaling PAL3’s AI-driven tutoring system for broader use across military training programs, 2) enhancing AI-driven threat detection to anticipate and counteract cyber threats before they materialize, 3) developing AI-powered battlefield simulations to train Soldiers for scenarios where AI plays an active role in enemy decision-making and commander decision recommendation and 4) advancing AI-assisted decision-making tools that can process battlefield intelligence and support rapid tactical adjustments.
AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a force multiplier that is reshaping warfare. By investing in AI-driven training, cybersecurity and warfighting strategies, the Army will not only defend against future threats but shape the battlefield to our advantage.
For more information, go to the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies website at https://ict.usc.edu.
KEITH BRAWNER, PH.D., is the program manager for ICT and senior scientist/engineer at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, where he is also the lead for AI initiatives. He holds a Ph.D. in computer engineering, focused on intelligent systems and machine learning; an M.S. in computer engineering; and a B.S. in electrical engineering, all from the University of Central Florida. He is the recipient of the National Training and Simulation Association Governors Award for Modeling & Simulation.
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