Grant Details

The mission of the Information Innovation Office (I2O) is to ensure enduring advantage for the U.S. and its allies across a broad range of information technologies through the advancement of core technical foundations as well as the design of novel application concepts based on these foundations. I2O's core technical work ranges from artificial intelligence and data analysis to secure engineering and formal methods. Building on its core technical work, I2O programs also focus on overcoming technical challenges in bringing these technologies to the mission, addressing topics such as network security, cyber and multi-domain operations, human-system interaction, and assured autonomy. I2O programs are organized into four thrust areas:

Proficient artificial intelligence (AI): I2O is focused on the exploration and advancement of a full range of AI techniques, including symbolic reasoning, statistical machine learning, grounded cognition, meta-learning, explanation and assurance, and hybrid methods. The office's AI programs focus on increasing cognitive capability, such as enhancing human language understanding and combining this with increases in robustness and trustworthiness. Programs also focus on human-system partnering where AI-based systems can engage with individuals and teams in ways that are both effective and non-obtrusive. Programs focus additionally on the engineering of trustworthy systems that include diverse AI components. As AI technology continues to evolve rapidly, an emerging I2O focus is next-generation AI. This focus area addresses challenges related to harmonizing symbolic domain models with statistical AI, as well as augmenting systems with meta-cognition, for example, learning how to learn and how to evolve domain abstractions.

• Approaches that further the theoretical grounding of robust and trustworthy AI systems; help establish AI engineering tools, techniques, and processes to develop, debug, test, evaluate, validate, and verify robust and trustworthy AI systems; and support human-machine symbiosis, including the efficient use of data, compute, and energy, are particularly of interest. 

Advantage in cyber operations: The I2O cyber operations portfolio includes techniques, tools, and frameworks for the full range of cyber operations, and involves many layers and stages in systems, from endpoint to endpoint. I2O's research explores network operations analytics, attribution of attacks, applied cryptography – such as secure multi-party computation – graceful-degradation and recovery from attacks, and social engineering defense. Programs also address challenges related to advancing the capacity of cyber operators through improved data sourcing and analytics, tools and frameworks, and operator experience design, including environments for command centers and cyber operators.

• Approaches that can develop robust, predictable, and controlled defensive and offensive cyber capabilities are of particular interest

Confidence in the information domain: The information domain has been a focus of military and civil engagement since the dawn of the ages. Totalitarian regimes, for example, have historically used information operations for domestic social control and to exert international influence. The combination of connectivity and modern media has greatly amplified the potential effects on populations, including populations with extensive access to traditional sources of news as well as social media. The information domain has become critical both to stability and to multi-domain operations in modern warfare. I2O programs focus on understanding online activity, building better technical models of strategic and tactical operations in the information domain, and building on these to create improved situational awareness to inform strategic decision-making.

• Approaches that support the measurement of the information domain and information operations, support countering broad-based or targeted information attacks, and can inoculate a population against information attacks are of particular interest.

Resilient, adaptable, and secure systems: Engineering practices for software-reliant systems have evolved steadily over many decades, and yet systems remain vulnerable as functional and quality ambitions continue to outpace engineering capability. I2O is focused on creating new techniques, technologies, and tools that can lead to improvements in engineering practice for software-based systems for the military and its supply chain. Programs are addressing a number of challenges in enabling iterative patterns of continuous development with continuous integration and, importantly, with continuous verification and validation (CD/CI/CV). I2O's research efforts focus on topics related to modeling and analysis, toolchain development, support for human developers and analysts, and the capture and management of diverse kinds of engineering evidence, both formal and informal.

• Approaches that support scaling formal engineering practices to a broader variety of software and hardware systems and reduce the expertise necessary to employ formal methods are particularly of interest

I2O may also consider submissions outside these thrust areas if the proposal involves the development of novel software-based capabilities having a promise to provide decisive information advantage for the U.S. and its allies. I2O seeks unconventional software-based approaches that are outside the mainstream, challenge accepted assumptions, and have the potential to radically change established practice. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in software science, technology, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of the art.