“Robots Rising: Arming Artificial Intelligence”

Welcome to the Symposium!

Warfare has changed – combat is no longer relegated to singular battlefronts or even to the kinetic world. Battles are now fought block to block in city streets, in the air without pilots, in cyberspace and very likely, in space. What was once science fiction is now reality.  Among all these changes is the unprecedented advancement of robotics over the past ten years.  Rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have created new possibilities for robotic applications. Artificial intelligence systems and robotics are being adopted across many sectors of society, to include infrastructure, business, security and defense applications. How do we combat against bad actor hacking of essential infrastructure functions? How does the deployment of artificially intelligent robots armed with latest lethal weaponry alter the current and future battlefield? What are the concerns of AI networks in direct combat with other AI networks? What ethical concerns come with allowing these types of systems to run wild? The 2022 Norwich University Military Writers’ Symposium will examine the good, the bad, and the ugly of the rise of robotics and artificial intelligence as a force multiplier from the perspective of some of the globe’s leading experts in the field. 

October 12 to 13, 2022
Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont

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John Abele
Founding Chairman (Retired), Boston Scientific Corporation

August Cole
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity, Marine Corps University

Lyle Goldstein, Ph.D.
Director of Asia Engagement, Defense Priorities.

Marko Kloos
Author

Wesley Morgan
2022 Colby Award Winner, Journalist and Author of The Hardest Place

Sharon Weinberger
National Security & Foreign Policy Editor, The Wall Street Journal

Martha Wells
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Author

Schedule

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

9 AM to 9:50 AM | Setting the Stage: Leading & Innovating in a Cutting-Edge Field
Mack Hall Auditorium

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Introductions by Dr. Travis Morris, Director, NU Peace & War Center
Welcome Remarks by Dr. Mark C. Anarumo, President, Norwich University
Keynote Address: John Abele, Founding Chairman (Retired), Boston Scientific Corporation

10 AM to 10:50 AM | Sci-fi AI and the Future of Armed Conflict
Mack Hall Auditorium

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Reading by Rodion Pedyuk, ’25 NU Language Ambassador
Discussion Moderator: Andrew Liptak, M ’09, Author & Historian
Author: August Cole, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity, Marines Corps University

1 PM to 1:50 PM | Storytelling & Invention: Writing & Imagining New Technologies
Mack Hall Auditorium

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Reading by Michaela Hartz ‘23, Olmsted Foundation Student Fellow
Discussion Moderator: Dr. F. Brett Cox, Charles A. Dana Professor, English
Author: Martha Wells, Sci-fi & Fantasy Author

2 PM to 2:50 PM | Secret Science: DARPA and Unimagined Technologies
Mack Hall Auditorium

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Reading by Alex Rosas, Chameleon Editorial Staff
Discussion Moderator: Dr. Brian S. Bradke, Executive Vice President & COO, Spotlight Labs
Author: Sharon Weinberger, National Security & Foreign Policy Editor, The Wall Street Journal

7 PM to 8:30 PM | Robots Rising: Arming Artificial Intelligence
Plumley Armory

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Discussion Moderator: COL Scott A Nelson, US Army, Retired
Panelists: August Cole, Dr. Lyle Goldstein, Marko Kloos, and Sharon Weinberger

Thursday, October 13, 2022

9:25 AM to 10:25 AM | Robotic Submarines Under the Pacific: China’s Development of Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs)
Mack Hall Auditorium

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Reading by Yorke A. Kwabia-Mensah, NU Language Ambassador
Presentation by Dr. Lyle Goldstein, Director of Asia Engagement, Defense Priorities

11 AM to 11:50 AM | Colby Award Book Presentation: The Hardest Place
Mack Hall Auditorium

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Discussion Moderator: Dr. Nicholas Roberts, Assistant Professor, History
Student Co-Moderator: Drukhshan Farhad ‘23, Student Fellow, Norwich University Humanities Initiative)
Author: Wesley Morgan, Author & Journalist, 2022 Colby Award Winner

1 PM to 1:50 PM | Richard S. Schultz ’60 Symposium Fellow & Military Writers’ Symposium Fellow Panel
Mack Hall Auditorium

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Reading by Drukhshan Farhad ’23, Student Fellow, Norwich University Humanities Initiative
Discussion Moderator: Dr. Steven Sodergren, Chair, Department of History & Political Science
Student Panelists: Elaina Latino ‘24, Gabriel Williams ‘23 & Wesley Dewey ‘23

6 PM to 9 PM | Meet the Authors Reception & Dinner | By Invitation Only
National Guard Readiness and Regional Technology Center (161 University Drive, Northfield, Vermont)

Remarks by Alex Kershaw, Author and Chair, Colby Military Writers’ Award Selection Committee
Reading by Zoha Alam ’24, NU Language Ambassador
Presentation of the Colby Award and Carlo D’Este ’58 Military History Award
Recognition of 2022 Richard S. Schultz ’60 Fellows
Recognition of 2022 Military Writers’ Symposium Fellow
Closing Remarks

The presentation of the Carlo D’Este ’58 Military History Award takes place during the Meet the Authors dinner. The D’Este Award is a $500 prize presented to an outstanding undergraduate senior pursuing a degree in history or studies in war and peace.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

8 PM to 10 PM  | Post Event Movie: Chappie (2015) | Co-sponsored by the Student Activities Office
Mack Hall Auditorium 

Chappie (2015) In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. But now, the people are fighting back. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.  As powerful, destructive forces start to see Chappie as a danger to mankind and order, they will stop at nothing to maintain the status quo and ensure that Chappie is the last of his kind. Watch Trailer

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