Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Autonomy
Engineering with intelligence
Designing, building, and applying new technologies—especially those that include artificial intelligence—can be a double-edged sword: powerful and enabling on the one hand, but potentially biased and vulnerable to infiltration on the other.
From health care to planetary defense and national security, Johns Hopkins APL continues to make advances in AI to ensure the technology’s capabilities while identifying, minimizing, or eliminating its weaknesses.
A Laboratory-wide collaborative community of AI researchers and applied scientists works in domains from beneath the sea to outer space to innovatively incorporate autonomy, computer vision, machine learning, and other AI techniques across the breadth of our programs and projects. Internally funded AI exploration and research help us take bold steps in this realm to continue advancing AI for the good of the nation and the world.
Featured Facility
Intelligent Systems Center →
The Intelligent Systems Center (ISC) leverages APL’s broad expertise across national security, space exploration, and health to fundamentally advance the employment of intelligent systems for our nation’s critical challenges. The ISC acts as a focal point for research and development in artificial intelligence, robotics, and neuroscience at APL.
Related Projects
Accelerating Air Quality Forecasts
Severe wildfires have released millions of smoke-borne contaminants into the air, setting off air quality alerts across the country. APL is using artificial intelligence to accelerate air quality forecasts and ultimately deliver a better understanding of how and where these pollutants will travel.
Agile and Intelligent Robots
Developing novel controls for robotic systems operating safely in complex environments
AI for Climate Intelligence
Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and mathematics to spur innovation and novel solutions to challenges at the intersection of earth systems and national security
AI for Tipping Point Discovery
Artificial intelligence experts and oceanographers are integrating AI with traditional climate modeling methods to enable scientific researchers to better understand tipping points, critical thresholds that, once crossed, could “tip” a natural Earth system into an entirely different state.
AlphaDogfight Trials
APL served as a core member of the Air Combat Evolution program team created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the 2020 AlphaDogfight Trials, a showdown between eight AI research teams from across the United States.
Golden Horde
Achieving networked, collaborative offensive weapons systems that will learn from their environment and autonomously work together to defeat integrated air and missile defenses.
Lifelong Learning Machines
Enabling intelligent systems that continuously adapt to changing conditions and missions in the real world
Mapping the Brain
APL led several test and evaluation efforts for IARPA’s MICrONs project, launched to develop state-of-the-art machine-learning capabilities by modeling how the brain processes information.
Mission-Focused Generative AI
Inventing the future of artificial intelligence for the nation by advancing frontier models that enable creativity, subject-matter expertise, and personification
Neural Interfaces
Directly interfacing with the nervous system to restore lost functions and enhance human capability
Neuroscience-Inspired Artificial Intelligence
Developing next-generation algorithms and computing substrates that leverage neurobiology to revolutionize intelligent systems
Revolutionizing Materials Discovery for National Security
APL is reimagining and accelerating the targeted discovery of materials tailored to withstand and perform in the most demanding conditions, ensuring enhanced capabilities in extreme environments.
Robust and Resilient Artificial Intelligence
Developing the next generation of intelligent systems for missions characterized by uncertain, dynamic, and adversarial environments
Swarming Uncrewed Surface Vehicles
APL, in collaboration with the Naval Air Warfare Center Port Hueneme Weapons Division, led a swarming uncrewed surface vehicle demonstration of advanced multivehicle autonomy at tactically relevant speeds.
Uncrewed Surface Vessel Perception
International regulations for preventing collisions at sea require vessels to operate within certain distances based on the visual identification of other vessels.
Related News
News
Apr 3, 2025
Training Robots to Plan and React Like Humans
Johns Hopkins APL researchers are advancing robotic perception by using artificial intelligence to equip autonomous agents with the capacity to make sense of unstructured environments — and make plans just like humans.
Press Release
Apr 2, 2025
Johns Hopkins APL, Microsoft Collaborate to Advance Robotics and Materials Discovery Using AI
APL and Microsoft are partnering to advance robotics and materials discovery by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI).
News
Mar 6, 2025
AI Reveals New Way to Strengthen Titanium Alloys and Speed Up Manufacturing
Johns Hopkins researchers have leveraged artificial intelligence to uncover faster, more efficient ways to manufacture titanium alloy parts while maximizing mechanical performance.
News
Mar 3, 2025
Generative AI Wargaming Promises to Accelerate Mission Analysis
A team at Johns Hopkins APL is creating an artificial intelligence-driven capability that automates much of the work that goes into designing, setting up, developing and running wargames. The effort holds promise to dramatically amplify the impact and value of wargames and similar exercises for the military and other government agencies.
News
Feb 13, 2025
Revolutionizing Battlefield Medicine: Augmented Reality for Lifesaving Trauma Care
Johns Hopkins APL researchers are leveraging predictive anatomy visualization, artificial intelligence and real-time ultrasound to help medics provide faster and more accurate medical care in the field.