Internal Air Force records show the service awarded Smarter Reality LLC a $749,895 contract in 2022 to build an AI-enabled virtual reality simulator intended to help Air Force Academy cadets practice difficult conversations involving diversity, inclusion, honor, leadership and discipline.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
The U.S. Air Force awarded nearly $750,000 during the Biden administration to develop an artificial intelligence-powered virtual reality simulator designed to let Air Force Academy cadets rehearse sensitive conversations involving diversity, equity and inclusion, honor, leadership and discipline, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation, citing internal records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Smarter Reality LLC contract FA864922P1122 on July 20, 2022, for $749,895, according to records obtained by the Functional Government Initiative.
USAF2024-03672-Fcombined by yourNEWS Media
The federal government’s USAspending database also lists the contract award to Smarter Reality.
The project, called the “Conflict Resolution Simulator,” was envisioned as a virtual conversation-training system combining artificial intelligence, virtual reality, natural language processing and voice recognition.
Rather than simply viewing prerecorded material, cadets would interact verbally with a virtual character capable of responding to what they said and altering its behavior as a conversation developed.
Project documents indicate the Air Force believed existing training methods did not provide cadets and junior personnel with enough opportunities to practice challenging interpersonal situations before assuming greater leadership responsibilities.
“Cadets and junior personnel struggle conducting difficult conversations related to honor, diversity and inclusion and leadership and discipline,” an Air Force project slide states.
The records described conventional role-playing exercises as “insufficient practice for rising leaders to lead the diverse force of the future.”
The proposal’s full title underscored the intended scope of the system: “Conflict Resolution Simulator: Empowering Rising USAF Leaders with an AI-Enabled Virtual Reality Simulation to Practice Difficult Conversations (Mentoring, Diversity and Inclusion, Honor),” according to an Air Force evaluation document.
Smarter Reality characterized the technology as a training platform for “mission-essential conversations.”
Company work-plan materials included in the records identified leadership, discipline, diversity, equity and inclusion, and honor among the areas the simulator could address.
The virtual character was designed to respond to spoken language while changing its reactions based on the user’s approach, conversational decisions and the simulated character’s background.
Developers also planned for the digital companion to display facial expressions and body language intended to make the interactions more realistic.
Following a scenario, users could review both their decisions and associated analytics, then replay the conversation to test alternative approaches.
Although DEI-related conversations were included in the project, the simulator was also designed to support the Air Force Academy’s broader honor instruction.
Internal documents described the system as using realistic conversations “focused on honor but extensible to leadership and DEI.”
Then-Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark supported the concept, according to an Air Force slideshow contained in the records.
“The [Simulator] provides the Center for Character and Leadership Development with a dialogue driven trainer that uses a blend of virtual reality, natural language processing and voice recognition,” Clark said, according to the academy material.
Development proceeded through a series of planned milestones.
Smarter Reality was responsible for producing the user interface, natural language processing technology, virtual reality environment and an initial training scenario before moving toward playable and alpha versions of the system.
The contract also called for the company to train as many as three Air Force personnel to use the simulator.
By Feb. 9, 2023, Smarter Reality reported that an “alpha” version had been delivered digitally to the Air Force Academy for use with the academy’s Oculus virtual reality headset.
According to the company’s update contained in the records, academy representatives were able to wear the headset and experience the simulator.
Images included with the project documents depict virtual cadet avatars inside a simulated Air Force Academy gym as well as a separate virtual office environment.
The testing plan contemplated broader involvement by cadets and academy personnel as development advanced.
Project goals included demonstrating the prototype to 40 cadets serving as Character and Honor Liaisons and recruiting at least five Character and Honor Leaders to conduct hands-on testing.
The contract also called for a minimum of three product discovery or design sessions involving instructors and cadets.
The documents obtained by the Functional Government Initiative do not establish how far the project ultimately progressed after those development stages.
It remains unclear from the available records how many cadets eventually used the simulator, whether the final prototype was completed and formally accepted by the Air Force or whether the technology remains in use.
The financial record also leaves unanswered questions about how much of the original $749,895 award was ultimately paid.
USAspending.gov lists $0 in reported outlays associated with the award and indicates that the contract is not linked to a federal account.
FGI said that status reflects a known gap in Defense Department financial reporting and does not establish that no money was actually paid to Smarter Reality.
The organization said the available documentation therefore does not determine the final amount disbursed under the contract.
FGI obtained the materials through a FOIA request and criticized the project as an example of what it characterized as the Biden administration prioritizing progressive policy goals over military readiness.
The records themselves show the Air Force framed the project more broadly as a leadership and character-development tool intended to improve cadets’ ability to conduct difficult conversations.
The U.S. Air Force did not provide a comment in time for publication, and Smarter Reality did not respond to a request for comment.
The documents establish that the Air Force authorized a $749,895 award for the AI-enabled simulator and that an alpha version was provided to the academy in 2023. They do not, however, establish the project’s final operational status, how extensively cadets ultimately used it or the total amount of federal money that was actually paid under the contract.
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