The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched a new program seeking to automatically translate obligations, permissions and prohibitions, known as deontic concepts, into logical programming language.
The Human-AI Communications for Deontic Reasoning Devops, or CODORD, program intends to reduce the required cost and time to transfer deontic knowledge, DARPA said Friday.
The project will develop innovative techniques for translating natural human language into a language form that artificial intelligence can readily process, according to CODORD Program Manager Benjamin Grosof.
CODORD will accelerate the transmission of deontic knowledge so AI researchers can take advantage of advances in large language models and logical programming languages, Grosof added.
DARPA projects that CODORD could enable automated and accurate deontic reasoning to support AI applications that comply with command orders, regulations, laws, operational policies, ethics and contracts.
The capabilities produced under the program are expected to advance military and civilian use cases, the agency noted.
Col. Robert Gerbracht, special assistant to the DARPA Director, said CODORD would assure commanders that an AI will transmit directives or intents “within the ethical, legal and moral guidelines.”
DARPA will hold a proposers day for the program on Oct. 8 and will publish a full solicitation on the effort in the weeks ahead.
