U.S. Army: ~$5.6M for "human augmentation" research through AI and autonomous systems (Carnegie Mellon University) (USAspending)
The U.S. Army awarded a ~$5.6 million ($5,597,000) contract to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) — via a competitive Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) — for research into accelerating "human augmentation" through AI and autonomous systems. An exploration of human-AI collaboration through a leading AI university.
Contract key facts
- RecipientCARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
- Contract value$5,597,000 (≈$5.6M)
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDepartment of the Army
- Award typeDELIVERY ORDER
- Period of performance2020-09-16 〜 2023-12-31
- Contract ID (PIID)W911QX20F0106
Contract scope (original)
THIS TASK ORDER IS FOR A BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) FOR RESEARCH INTO ACCELERATING HUMAN AUGMENTATION THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS. BAA SOLICITATION NUMBER W911NF-17-S-0003
Key points
- The U.S. Army contracted for research into "human augmentation" through AI and autonomous systems
- Recipient Carnegie Mellon University (renowned in AI/robotics), ~$5.6M, September 2020 – December 2023
- Human augmentation = using AI/autonomous systems to reinforce and extend human perception, judgment, and action
- Via a competitive BAA = a mechanism to bring leading university research into military R&D
Human augmentation is the idea of using AI and autonomous systems to reinforce and extend human capabilities — perception, judgment, and action. The recipient, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), is a world-renowned university in AI and robotics, and this contract is an example of bringing leading university research into military R&D. A Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a common mechanism by which the government competitively procures innovative research and development.
The scope gives only the research theme and does not state specific research content, so we do not assert it (refer to primary sources).
Why it matters
A case of investing in "human augmentation," where people and AI collaborate to enhance capabilities, through a renowned university. For those tracking human-AI interaction and university-sourced research procurement (BAAs), a useful read on the direction of U.S. research investment.
FAQ
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Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID):W911QX20F0106