Study on the integration of Artificial Intelligence technologies in defense: analysis of the “Defense/IA” network and sector comparison[Étude sur l'intégration des technologies d'intelligence artificielle dans la défense : analyse du réseau "Défense/IA" et comparaison sectorielle]

This paper uses network analysis tools to study the evolution of the intertwining of defense and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies over the past two decades. AI's development has brought about a profound change in the research sphere, in some cases altering the development of entire sectors. Many studies have been conducted on the impact of AI mainly on productivity and on the labor market, but there have been few studies on its impact on innovation processes. This disruptive power makes AI of pillar of the fourth industrial revolution. And indeed, AI has become a central component of many countries' defense policies The technology is also a central element of the unprecedented export control measures of the U.S. administration of October 2022 against China, with the aim of hindering the development of "force-multiplying" technologies for defense capabilities. Focusing our analysis on the evolution of these technologies in defense appears particularly interesting for several reasons: technological edge and adaptability is highly valued for defense material; decision-making often needs to be quick in a complex and evolving environment; high-end and customized product necessitates evolving scientific and technological capacities. After analyzing the evolution of AI technologies in the defense sector, we study the evolution in other sectors of the economy to compare with defense. Network analysis tools are applied to patent data extracted from the software Orbit Intelligence and PATSTAT (European Patent Office) database. Results on the "Defense/AI" network show that the defense sector was one of the first to introduce AI into its innovation process. The combinations number of AI and defense technologies has increased over time, alongside an intensification of the usage of such links to produce new patents. When we compare defense sector to other in terms of integration of AI technologies, we see that defense sector has a wide variety of AI technologies used in its innovation process. The technology corresponding to position in space (G05D 1) has mostly driven the "Defense/AI" sector. Furthermore, after performing a principal components analysis, defense's innovation process is appearing to be similar to the transport sector in its integration process.