US Coast Guard to open AI and machine learning centre this autumn

The US Coast Guard will open a Center for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at its Academy in New London, Connecticut, this autumn. The centre is part of the service’s Force Design 2028 priorities and is intended to strengthen operational readiness, technological capability and workforce development.

It will run in partnership with the Coast Guard’s Technology Readiness Directorate and Office of Data and AI, and will host an AI computing platform the service describes as one of the most powerful in the Department of Homeland Security. The centre will work with Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the National Security Agency.

Three areas of work are planned: building practical AI tools for Coast Guard missions, conducting mission-focused research, and training military and civilian personnel to use approved AI tools safely and responsibly. The Coast Guard aims to produce working prototypes within six months rather than waiting years for outside development, with early projects on buoy positioning, cutter patrol schedules and maritime border security.

Matthew Williams, the centre’s executive director, said it represents a strategic investment in operational readiness, technological advantage and the future workforce.