13 February 2026

Disciplined Autonomy: How AI and sUAS Will Redefine Security, Safety, Emergency Response, and Military Operations

Bill Edwards

Mature AI systems are not free-thinking actors; they are bounded executors of human intent. Let’s face it, AI is only beginning to take shape, and there is a need for a different lens on the maturing technology. This is especially concerning for drones, also known as Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), used by operators and professionals in the Department of War and the private sector, including those involved in security, safety, and emergency preparedness. The following ideas and concepts are based on how decision-making takes shape in an AI and autonomous world. 

The framing of human-in-the-loop, human-on-the-loop, and human-out-of-the-loop will take on a whole new perspective based on these ideas, a framework that supports proactive action in a governed ecosystem. In the debate over artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems, one statement is far more accurate than the rhetoric suggests: we remain at the very beginning of AI maturity. The capabilities of machine learning and data fusion are impressive; the capabilities of autonomous decision-making remain nascent in serious operational contexts. Nowhere is this truth clearer than in the evolution of sUAS.

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