Agenda

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how U.S. forces train for complex missions, allowing for richer, more adaptive simulations that anticipate real-world conditions. In this Genius Machines conversation, Dan Tadross, Public Sector Lead at Scale AI, will share how cutting-edge data curation and model-training services can accelerate the military’s shift to AI-driven training environments. The discussion will explore how high-quality, mission-specific datasets power realistic virtual exercises, the safeguards needed to maintain accuracy and trust, and how these capabilities can help defense organizations strengthen readiness and decision-making before a crisis arises.

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As missions grow more complex and environments more contested, U.S. forces need training tools that match the speed and unpredictability of real-world operations. Traditional scripted simulations can no longer keep pace with the dynamic conditions soldiers encounter on the ground. Natural-language artificial intelligence offers a new way forward, enabling warfighters to communicate with machines as naturally as they do with human teammates. The Embodied Machine Human Assistive Team (EMHAT) and the Knowledge Management and Simulation System (KMASS) embody this approach—combining machine learning, robotics, and conversational AI to create adaptive training environments where soldiers can issue verbal instructions, receive intelligent feedback, and carry out intricate missions alongside virtual partners. During this conversation, Defense One will speak with DARPA’s Matthew Marge about how EMHAT and KMASS integrate real-time threat data with responsive simulations to help units rehearse critical decisions under pressure. Marge will cover how natural-language AI strengthens readiness by making training more agile, immersive, and able to evolve as fast as the operational landscape itself.

Modern military operations demand rapid, coordinated decision-making across complex command structures. The Cognitive Operational Decision and Organizational Reasoning Dynamics (CODORD) initiative brings advanced logic-based AI to this challenge, modeling how human teams plan, coordinate, and adapt under pressure. By encoding rules of engagement and command relationships, CODORD creates data-rich simulations where warfighters can rehearse missions, test strategies, and expose vulnerabilities long before real-world execution. During this conversation, Defense One will sit down with DARPA’s Benjamin Grosof to cover how CODORD’s adaptive, explainable frameworks strengthen readiness and improve interoperability across services. He will detail how logic-driven AI can accelerate mission planning, support trustworthy decision-making, and help the force stay ahead of adversaries.