The Washington AI Network recently honored Fort Carson Gen. Patrick Ellis along with six other leaders in the emerging field.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll presented the award honoring Ellis for his work to integrate AI into national defense during a ceremony on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., that drew about 400 attendees. The Washington AI Network brings together those in government, business and academia to discuss and work on AI issues. 

National security depends on embracing the new technology because the world is at “an inflection point in warfare,” Driscoll said. 

“The speed of war has accelerated beyond simple human cognitive capacity,” he said. 

At Fort Carson, Ellis is leading the work to ensure legacy computer systems share data freely and AI is integrated to help support battlefield decisions, Driscoll said. The work to integrate legacy computer systems started with a six-week “hackathon.” 

The new AI model system will help recognize “enemy armor signatures” and help exponentially accelerate the Army’s ability to locate, target, and kill enemies, he said. 

Ellis said he was pleased to accept the award on behalf of the 12,000 soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division. 

“They are spending their time and energy to train the models to provide AI with the tools to make us better and really to be more effective at our job,” he said. 

Other awardees included the co-founder of AI chip maker Nvidia Chris Malachowsky, and celebrity investor known for his appearances on the TV show “Shark Tank,” Kevin O’Leary, who received the AI Global Ambassador Award.

Ireland’s ambassador to the U.S., Geraldine Nason, presented O’Learly’s honor. 

“He has helped shine a spotlight on the extraordinary opportunities that are presented from AI,” she said. 

He has also sparked intense controversy over his proposed $15 billion data center in Utah because of its expected consumption of water and power. The Salt Lake Tribune reported earlier this week that O’Leary planned to scale down plans for the project from 40,000 acres to 10,000 acres or less. 

He addressed the project and the controversy over AI in his acceptance speech, noting that some believe AI will eliminate jobs, while supporters believe it will further medical research and advance defense, among other benefits. 

O’Learly also doubled down on his plans for the project in Utah during the speech. 

“I am going to build it as a shining example,” he said.