The Air Force, under the Biden administration, has allocated close to $750,000 for the creation of an artificial intelligence-based virtual reality simulator, aimed at helping Air Force Academy cadets engage in conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. This information comes from internal records.
The contract went to Smarter Reality LLC, which is tasked with developing this simulator, referred to as the “Conflict Resolution Simulator.” The objective is to integrate virtual reality with natural language processing, voice recognition, and AI, enabling cadets to practice dialogues with a virtual companion.
A non-profit organization, the Functional Government Initiative (FGI), obtained these records via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and criticized this initiative as indicative of the Biden administration prioritizing progressive ideals over military readiness.
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Smarter Reality LLC contract FA864922P1122 on July 20, 2022, for a total of $749,895. Additionally, the federal government’s USAspending database confirms this award.
As of the time of publication, there has been no comment from the U.S. Air Force. Smarter Reality did not reply to inquiries for feedback.
According to an internal Air Force slide, cadets and junior staff often find it challenging to handle tough discussions concerning honor, diversity, inclusion, and leadership. The existing role-playing exercises were deemed inadequate for training future leaders who will oversee a diverse military.
The project proposal titled “Conflict Resolution Simulator: Empowering Rising USAF Leaders with an AI-Enabled Virtual Reality Simulation to Practice Difficult Conversations (Mentoring, Diversity and Inclusion, Honor)” outlined its goals in an evaluation document. Smarter Reality characterized this simulator as a tool to practice “mission-essential conversations” about leadership, discipline, and diversity, among other topics. The virtual companion would react to spoken input, modifying its responses based on the user’s attitude and other factors.
This system will also showcase the virtual character’s facial expressions and body language. After completing scenarios, users can review their choices and analytics, allowing them to retry conversations with different strategies.
The project is intended to bolster the Air Force Academy’s honor training and simulate realistic dialogues around honor, leadership, and diversity. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, who was the Air Force Academy Superintendent at the time, supported this concept, noting that the simulator would provide a dialogue-based training experience using a mix of VR technology and voice recognition.
An early version of the simulator was shared with the Air Force Academy using the Academy’s Oculus virtual reality headsets, as reported by Smarter Reality on February 9, 2023. Academy representatives reportedly engaged with the simulation during their experience.
Records include images showing virtual cadet avatars situated within a simulated academy gym and office settings. The contract outlines specific milestones aimed at producing a final prototype, with Smarter Reality responsible for developing the user interface, natural language processing, virtual reality environment, and initial scenarios before delivering playable versions of the simulator. The company was also tasked with training several Air Force personnel on the system.
The project aims to test the prototype with about 40 cadets serving as Character and Honor Liaisons, alongside recruiting a minimum of five Character and Honor Leaders for hands-on testing. It also involves several product discovery or design sessions with students and instructors.
The available records do not clarify the number of cadets who ultimately interacted with the simulator, the status of the final prototype delivery, or if the program is still operational. Additionally, the records do not specify how much of the roughly $750,000 awarded has been paid to Smarter Reality. According to USAspending.gov, there have been no reported outlays linked to this contract, highlighting a known gap in the Defense Department’s financial reporting.
