Data, data, data

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Adelina Campos de Carvalho, Simon Michell, Editors, NITECH

Adelina

So, we are still not back in the office, and working from home seems normal now. How have you coped?

Simon

Better than expected.

Simon

I have been forced to really up my IT skills. I am in the process of moving all my data to the cloud and I am now pretty good at online meetings – Teams, Skype, Webex….. I am using all of them.

Adelina

I can imagine! It’s the same on our side, with the added complexity of holding virtual meetings at different classification levels... What has been your biggest challenge with remote working?

Simon

Well, as an early 60s Baby Boomer, I am far from being a digital native, and some things are not at all intuitive to me. Sometimes, I really have to do a lot of Googling to find out how to use new apps. People 30 years younger seem to instinctively know how to get started on new platforms and apps.

I can share all of my data between my laptop, phone and tablet using the cloud. The phone is easier to use than my laptop for most things, but not everything – emails for one, and of course writing and editing. Plus moving data around and sharing it externally with the team is still sometimes a bit of a mystery. There are annoying silos between the different types of data, text, image files, design documents, PDFs...

Adelina

This is the biggest challenge that everyone is facing, and NATO in particular. It’s why we have focused on data as a strategic resource in this issue. That’s what the NCI Agency is all about. Data has become a precious commodity – you need to be able to share it, quickly. The NCI Agency is vital in making this happen.

Simon

So how is the NCI Agency getting on with this effort?

Adelina

We are getting there. Artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to be the key that unlocks the door to many data challenges. The ‘AI in ASW – anti-submarine warfare’ article by Admiral Tas of Allied Command Transformation highlights this transition. And, of course, AI is also breaking ground in cyber security too.

There are other examples, such as the ‘Sharing Biometric Data’ article by the NCI Agency’s Cristian Coman, that also point the way forward. The explanation of how the NCI Agency helps people with their data on operations in Afghanistan shows the growing importance that this type of function will have in the future. Data teams need to be in the thick of it to make more of a difference. That’s why the NCI Agency deploys on operations regularly. I think we will see more of that in the future.

Adelina

What stands out for you in this issue?

Simon

The piece by Florence Parly, France’s Defence Minister, on the new NATO Space Centre of Excellence is really good. I also think our coverage of 5G is really fascinating. And what is really going to be a massive challenge going forward is drawing down the carbon footprint that emanates from using, storing and gathering data.

Simon

What are the key take-aways for data as a strategic resource for you?

Adelina

I think the articles on data scientists and AI practitioners really get to the main challenge – the lack of available talent and the urgent need to recruit more diverse data science teams. We also need to get ‘data-savvy’ quickly.

Simon

Definitely. That’s actually why we’ve included a glossary at the end of the magazine. We all know that we’re increasingly reliant on data, but few of us are actually familiar with the terminology and possible applications of data science. Hopefully, our readers will find out more about this fascinating topic with this latest edition.

Simon

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Dr Detlef Nauck

Head of AI and data science research at BT’s Applied Research Division

How will artificial intelligence (AI) affect organisations such as NATO?

There’s no doubt that NATO, which needs to collaborate with Alliance countries, could benefit from the AI explosion. It’s time to stop thinking of AI as something conceptual that’ll happen ‘one day’. It’s already here, thriving in businesses around the globe – and it’s here to stay. AI has reached the point that, in limited contexts, it can hold a natural conversation over the phone and beat humans in games of skill – it’s ready to play a big role in helping organisations across all industries.

AI is most commonly used in areas such as automation. For example, the automated models behind marketing and workforce management systems, automated order and billing processes, automated production lines, and text-processing chatbots. Then there are less well-known forms of automation that involve human-inthe-loop models, such as systems that scan legal documents to identify key information for experts to assess, or image-recognition systems that support medical professionals by highlighting potential cancer in cell samples. The human-and-machine model is a successful one, supporting people to do their jobs better by speeding up the process and cutting levels of human error.

As you can see from this year’s NITEC event, AI is already proving to be a valuable tool in NATO’s activities – from the Consultation, Command and Control Board using AI to improve policies, to the NATO Cyber Security Centre detecting and countering cyber intrusions on NATO networks, thanks to the technology.

How will 5G connectivity help organisations such as NATO?

5G will connect people, things, machines, data, applications, transport systems and cities faster and more reliably than ever before. There’s potential to carry and process huge amounts of data with next to no delay, and connecting a huge number of devices. All of this will make AI easier to use in more ways.

We’re already leading the way in 5G in the UK, building on our unmatched 4G capabilities. And far from being replaced, 4G will continue to support 5G and provide the backbone of connectivity in the UK.

How can organisations successfully unlock the potential of AI?

The success of AI depends on the quality and availability of data, and this needs to be embedded into an organisation’s culture. Historically, data has been treated as a natural output from operations, and its quality hasn’t been questioned or looked after. This causes problems when businesses apply a machine-learning model, because the model will draw on this unchecked data and replicate any flaws in the information. Although this is a prime example of ‘garbage in, garbage out’, it’s been standard practice to only check or police data where regulations apply or where accuracy is essential, such as in billing.

Organisations such as NATO need to consider the quality and availability of data from the moment they come into contact with it. You need to be able to collect, store, curate, quality-test, aggregate and refine data before pulling it into a software environment where it can power machine learning and apply AI techniques successfully. Plus, to develop a robust AI model that doesn’t make mistakes, you need to test it with data that hasn’t been used during the creation process, and then continue to test it once it’s operational. This is a challenge for businesses that are used to only collecting data to run operational systems, rather than to run analytics or AI.

How can NATO create protective guidance around AI?

Organisations need to see through the hype of AI to spot the pitfalls – and take steps to protect against them. NATO must pursue AI carefully, making ethical frameworks and governance a core part of AI’s development to avoid being exposed if regulations are introduced later. And you can see this is already in place as part of the NATO 2030 initiative.

Fundamentally, businesses must understand that AI will get decisions wrong. And retaining a human element is still crucial in protecting organisations. Take cybersecurity, for example. AI is so embedded in dealing with the tens of thousands of increasingly sophisticated malware attacks that occur daily, that if we had to go back to purely human-based defence, we’d need the majority of the UK working population to deal

with the volume of attacks. But without an element of human checking and control, serious risks may arise, such as a system that acts on data alone, without understanding the context. Finding the right human-AI balance is essential.

To what extent does the future AI-enabled 5G world depend on collaboration?

It may be that 5G will unlock possibilities with AI that we’ve yet to even think of. What we know today is that technology in a 5G world will create sophisticated and flexible services that are reliable and have ultra-low latency. And, based on this, we’ll be able to create more bespoke services and capabilities.

It’s only through collaboration and co-innovation that our 5G world will reach its potential. 5G innovation and AI will bring many changes to our society and economy, only some of which we’re able to predict now. Others will emerge further down the line, so we’ve prioritised flexibility to ensure we’re ready to support whatever direction 5G takes with a network and architecture that’s ready for the future.