An APL engineer modifies a robot to test its navigation algorithms

Artificial Intelligence

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, agentic AI, and other 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

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.


Learn more about Intelligent Systems Center

Related Projects

Neil Fendley, machine learning researcher, demonstrates a backdoor adversarial attack he embedded in a computer vision application.

Robust and Resilient Artificial Intelligence

Developing the next generation of intelligent systems for missions characterized by uncertain, dynamic, and adversarial environments
Learn more about Robust and Resilient Artificial Intelligence
Illustration of a software stack

SMART Stack: Enabling Error-Resilient Quantum Computing

Understanding and mitigating quantum noise and errors across the full stack of hardware and software
Learn more about SMART Stack: Enabling Error-Resilient Quantum Computing
Swarming unmanned surface vehicles

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.
Learn more about Swarming Uncrewed Surface Vehicles
Autonomous swarming unmanned surface vessels (SUSVs) — equipped with Johns Hopkins APL-developed hardware and autonomy software

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.
Learn more about Uncrewed Surface Vessel Perception

Related News

Andrew Mara
Press Release

Sep 8, 2025

Mara Named Head of Force Projection Sector at Johns Hopkins APL

Andrew Mara has been named head of the Force Projection Sector at APL. Mara joined APL in 2023 as the head of the National Security Analysis Department, where he led the development of advanced technical capabilities to enable high-impact analyses of strategic challenges.
Learn more about Mara Named Head of Force Projection Sector at Johns Hopkins APL
Angela Thompson
Press Release

Sep 4, 2025

Thompson Named Mission Area Executive for National Security Analysis at Johns Hopkins APL

Angela Thompson has been appointed National Security Analysis mission area executive at APL. Since joining the Lab in 2007, she has served in key leadership roles guiding programs that advance U.S. national security.
Learn more about Thompson Named Mission Area Executive for National Security Analysis at Johns Hopkins APL
V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing UAS platform (Credit: Shield AI)
Press Release

Aug 5, 2025

Design Standard Update Improves Modular Architecture for Unmanned Platforms

Revision 6.1 of the Modular Payload Design Standard, developed by a collaborative team of government and industry partners led by Johns Hopkins APL, marks a significant evolution in the way electronic warfare, signals intelligence and communications payloads are conceived, integrated and sustained across unmanned and dismounted platforms.
Learn more about Design Standard Update Improves Modular Architecture for Unmanned Platforms
From left: Dave Van Wie, Rebecca Zimmerman, and Gen. Gregory Guillot (Credit: Johns Hopkins APL/Craig Weiman)
Press Release

Jun 18, 2025

USNORTHCOM Commander’s Visit Spotlights Johns Hopkins APL’s Proactive Role in Homeland Defense

Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, saw firsthand how APL’s advanced technologies and cross-agency expertise support emerging national security priorities, including integrated air and missile defense, multidomain awareness and counter-drone operations.
Learn more about USNORTHCOM Commander’s Visit Spotlights Johns Hopkins APL’s Proactive Role in Homeland Defense
From left: Chris Korpela, Corban Rivera, Rohita Mocharla and Henry Phalen
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.
Learn more about Training Robots to Plan and React Like Humans

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