Artificial intelligence is profoundly changing how the United States — and the world’s other military giants — are arming themselves to fight wars. Drones and other algorithm-driven machines are joining armored vehicles and big guns on the fields of combat, in the sky and even at sea. To show how this groundbreaking combination of firepower and state-of-the-art data science are revolutionizing warfare on the ground, national correspondent Jackie Koppell takes you inside operations at Fort Carson in Colorado, complete with live ammo fired from a howitzer. AI helps commanders reduce cognitive load, facilitating decisions on matters like where to move troops and send equipment. The new software is making traditional military hardware more accurate and more lethal. And unlike humans, machines can process information without getting tired. At Fort Carson, the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division is performing a series of AI-enhanced combat drills called Ivy Sting. It’s part of the army’s Next Generation Command and Control, or NGC2, initiative, which is working to integrate the speed of automation into battle readiness and tactics. At the Pentagon, Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael gives viewers insight into strategic advantages AI can offer. Innovators at Forterra, a defense tech company that focuses on autonomous vehicles, and Blue Water Autonomy, pioneers for an AI-powered U.S. Navy that focuses on autonomous ships, demonstrate what’s already possible with current tech — and offer a preview of what’s on the horizon. Perhaps our fiercest competitor in the AI space is China. And they’re years ahead of us when it comes to manufacturing, especially drones. The United States is trying to catch up. Ultimately, the hope is that these advancements actually help prevent war. Reported and produced by Jackie Koppell, national correspondent for The Hill and NewsNation