Synthetic Data
Synthetic data is quickly changing the defense industry by providing diverse and secure datasets to train and develop AI models. It can simulate real-world scenarios without relying on sensitive or scarce data sources. This creates innovative, time saving, and economical possibilities for defense applications.
Key Takeaways
- The defense industry needs more data to create highly effective AI models.
- Synthetic data is artificially created to mimic the characteristics of actual datasets, offering a reliable alternative for training AI models.
- Synthetic data may be even better for training complex AI models than real-world data. It provides an effective solution for researchers looking to accelerate development or shorten time to deployment.
What is synthetic data?
Synthetic data is artificially generated by computer simulations or algorithms. It is designed to reflect the shapes and patterns of real-world data. As Nvidia highlights, “Research demonstrates that it can be as good or even better for training an AI model than data based on actual objects, events, or people.” By 2030, synthetic data is expected to surpass real-world data as the primary resource for AI training.
Source: Gartner, “Maverick Research: Forget About Your Real Data – Synthetic Data Is the Future of AI.”
Why is synthetic data crucial for the defense industry?
Synthetic data is crucial for the defense industry because it addresses the critical shortage of training, testing, and validating data to develop AI models. By leveraging synthetic data, defense organizations can overcome data bottlenecks and more to improve model performance.
Accelerates AI Model Training
Training AI models requires massive amounts of diverse and high-quality data. This process can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. High-quality synthetic data, however, has the capability to represent the “original data it either seeks to replace (thereby providing an equivalent function) or complement (thus improving the value of the training data set)” (UNIDIR report). Without the necessary data to train on, AI models may be less reliable or efficient.
Prepares for Rare Scenarios
The defense industry often requires AI models to perform under rare or high-risk conditions. Synthetic data bridges the gap by providing data for scenarios that may be difficult or impossible to capture in the real-world. For example, it can create photorealistic environments for training AI systems, such as detecting enemy assets in a densely-wooded forest or extreme weather conditions. It can also be used to create complex scenarios, like determining how close aircraft carriers can sail near one another without creating damage.
See Younite’s ability to create photorealistic environments that support AI model training by simulating complex situations with varying parameters.
Protects and Preserves Data Privacy
Data privacy is critical in the defense sector, where the complex privacy landscape must be effectively navigated. Synthetic data eliminates privacy concerns by removing reliance on real-world datasets that may contain classified details or personally identifiable information (PII).
How can synthetic data accelerate defense development, deployment, and operations?
Synthetic data significantly reduces the time and resources needed for development and deployment. “Imagine using synthetic data to train AI models in the lab, rather than deploying your technology in the real-word and waiting to collect the data,” says Sami Heinonen, Younite’s CTO, XR. “With synthetic data, researchers can train drones to recognize enemy tanks in densely populated forests without a single drone ever leaving the ground.”
Partner with Younite
Younite is an active member of two major alliances and ecosystems in the defense industry, Patria-led eALLIANCE and The Digital Defense Ecosystem. Our experience in producing photorealistic indoor and outdoor environments allows us to generate diverse, realistic scenarios for synthetic data generation. These environments ensure high-quality datasets that meet the rigorous demands for effective AI development and testing. Our solutions drive readiness, improve situational awareness, and deliver a strategic edge in both peacetime and high-stakes defense applications.
Ready to accelerate your AI development? Let’s start a conversation today.