The 5th annual AI for Contested Space workshop just wrapped up at The Aerospace Corporation's Chantilly campus. This three-day event convened experts from government, industry, and academia for technical discussions, partnership building, and to shape national priorities in space and national security.
Though the exact topics of discussion can't be disclosed (the first two days covered Controlled Unclassified Information, with classified sessions on the third), the workshop touched on trusted AI, autonomy and validation, human-AI teaming, and resilience in contested and degraded space environments.
Over a hundred attendees from more than 40 organizations attended, including government agencies, industry partners, other federally funded R&D centers, and top academic institutions. By all accounts it was the most successful iteration yet of this fast-growing event.
"This year really raised the bar. I've been part of the leadership team of AI4CS for five years now, and it's been incredible to watch it grow from a small technical gathering into the go-to community for AI-enabled autonomy innovation in national security space," said Aerospace's Kerianne Hobbs, AI Senior Engineering Specialist.
July's event featured keynotes from AFRL Chief Scientist Dr. R. Scott Erwin and Dr Olivia Peters, NRO Deputy Chief AI Officer, as well as panelists from Google, Anduril, Lockheed Martin, and other leaders across industries.
The multi-stakeholder approach is key to both building consensus and integrating new perspectives, observed Aerospace's own speakers:
"This was my first time attending, and what struck me was the diversity of thought and the deep expertise across the 40 organizations represented," said AI Fellow Shawn Sloan. "There is still much work to do, but this community can tackle it!"
"I was really impressed by the technical know-how and forward thinking I saw at the AI4CS conference this year." Technical Fellow Bryan Hoke added. "It's encouraging to see different groups and teams are advancing capabilities for contested space — this forum will help the government bring all these ideas and technologies together so we can start making real improvements to the mission."
This world-class forum delivers a venue for secure, cross-domain, high-impact collaboration, reinforcing Aerospace's role as technical leader and trusted partner across the space enterprise.
"The technical work over the last year has been truly outstanding," said Hobbs. "But what you can really feel is the energy: this community is gaining serious momentum. I can't wait to see how it progresses over the next year as we keep pushing what's possible in space."