What’s next after the Pentagon scraps JEDI

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View this email in your browser  |   Manage newsletter subscriptions By Jennifer Conrad | 07.08.21 Good morning! We need to talk about JEDI. No, not the Star Wars knights. I mean the Pentagon's seemingly cursed cloud computing project. Google declined to bid. When Microsoft won the contract, Amazon and Oracle sued. And now the program is being scrapped for something called Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability. My first question is, how do you pronounce JWCC? Or is it JWC2? I'm going with "Juicy Too" until further notice.     The Pentagon Scrubs a Cloud Deal and Looks to Add More AI On Tuesday, the Department of Defense said it was killing a cloud computing project called Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI). In its place, the Pentagon will look to develop Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability. A little background: In early 2018, the Pentagon solicited proposals for JEDI, a $10 billion cloud computing project aimed at making the military more efficient—and more deadly. At the time, some tech employees bristled at working with the military, and Google decided not to compete for the contract. Lawmakers and rival bidders complained that the contract specs were written to favor Amazon. In late 2019, Microsoft was announced as the surprise winner of the contract. Oracle and Amazon sued, claiming the selection process was unfair. Amazon alleged that the Trump administration pressured Defense officials to choose Microsoft over Amazon. As Tom Simonite reports, the Pentagon does not cite the legal hangups in its announcement canceling JEDI. Instead, the Pentagon pointed to changing technical needs, in particular an increased focus on incorporating artificial intelligence into war-fighting capabilities. One initiative, Joint All Domain Command and Control, would link data feeds from military systems across land, sea, air, and space. Another new initiative aims to create data and AI teams across each of the agency's 11 top military commands. The new contract for JWCC will be open to all bidders, but according to Tuesday's announcement, only Microsoft and Amazon currently meet the Department of Defense's strict security requirements. Read more about the new cloud computing project here.     Deep(er) Learning Both the Defense Department and tech giants continue to grapple with the ethical implications of using AI to fight wars. Jeff Bezos Says Tech Companies Should Work With the Pentagon In 2018, Jeff Bezos, then CEO of Amazon, encouraged collaboration with the military, saying at the WIRED25 summit, "This is a great country, and it does need to be defended." The Pentagon's AI Chief Prepares for Battle AI systems can augment human decision making on the battlefield, but killer robots are a step too far, Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan, director of the DOD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, told Elias Groll in 2019. A Tech Group Suggests Limits for the Pentagon's Use of AI Also in 2019, Simonite reported on ethical guidelines for military AI proposed by the Defense Innovation Board, an advisory group including executives from Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.     Need to Know   A new federal facility in Kansas will house the world's deadliest agricultural pathogens. Scientists hope the work done there can prevent animal plagues that threaten the global food system. Can a co-sleeping robot cure your insomnia? WIRED tried five tools that may or may not help you catch more z's. There's nothing good to watch on Netflix anymore—and that's creating an opening for other streaming services. Audio-only social media app Clubhouse aims to showcase diverse voices. Is it working? Researchers found that Amazon's Echo Dot stores personal information like passwords and location data, even after a factory reset.       So, This Happened Share prices for Chinese ride-share company Didi Chuxing sank after the company was pulled from Chinese app stores, just days after it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Didi is under investigation by Chinese authorities over how the company collects and stores user data—and disclosures it might need to make to American regulators. (The Washington Post, Bloomberg) Cocktail recipes aren't protected by copyright laws, so bartenders are turning to non-fungible tokens to monetize their creations. (Punch) Facebook, Twitter, and Google threatened to leave Hong Kong over a new data-protection law that would hold the companies liable when users dox others by maliciously posting personal information online. (The Wall Street Journal/paywall) As cable news viewership drops, two new streaming channels, Fox Weather and Weather Channel Plus, hope to lure viewers with star meteorologists and splashy storm coverage. (The New York Times) To draw attention to the dangers of face-recognition technology, a Belgian artist created an AI program that scans livestreams of government meetings for officials slacking off on their cell phones and calls them out in real time on Twitter. (Gizmodo)     Until Next Time   A cartoon by @kuperart, with Cartoon Collections.     More Essential Reads I Tried 5 Sleep Gadgets for My Nagging Insomnia Netflix Is Losing Its Cool Clubhouse Aimed to Foster Diversity. Is it Working? Echo Dots Store a Wealth of Data—Even After You Reset Them GET WIRED Stare the future right in the eye. Get 1 year of unlimited access to WIRED for less than $1 per month. That includes Steven Levy's exclusive newsletter and a free tote! 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