How novice coders can develop AI programs for military applications
A USAF cadet and a Lincoln Laboratory researcher found AI chatbots can help nontechnical service members produce viable software applications for their unique problems. Through the DAF-MIT AI Accelerator Phantom Program, a U.S. Air Force cadet and an MIT Lincoln Laboratory researcher showed that AI chatbots can help nontechnical service members produce viable software applications for their unique problems. Haley Wahl | MIT Lincoln Laboratory Publication Date : July 7, 2026 Press Inquiries Press Contact : Ariana Gaines Email: ariana.tantillo@ll.mit.edu MIT Lincoln Laboratory : Molding AI is an iterative process to find where capabilities intersect user needs.
Key Takeaways
- Credits : Image: Allison Mosley/Lincoln Laboratory Previous image Next image In today's world, artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude can perform many functions, such as composing work emails and planning travel itineraries.
These chatbots are systems built around large vision-language models (VLMs): AI trained on a massive dataset that includes books, websites, code, and images.
- As part of a project for the U.S. Department of the Air Force-MIT AI Accelerator 's Phantom Program , U.S. Air Force cadet Joshua Lynch - with the help of his mentor, Laura Niss, a technical staff member in the Embedded and AI Systems Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory - wanted to determine if, as a complete novice to coding, he could develop a fully functional program.
He used a process called "vibe-coding," in which a user relies entirely on prompts to guide a generative AI chatbot to write and refine code.
- "The Phantom student wanted to see if he could create a useful application through self-identified vibe-coding, without any previous experience," Niss says.
"Within this project, I wanted to understand how his perception of AI changed over time with use.
- This application would offer capabilities including AI-assisted target recognition; modular intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; autonomous striking; and communication management on the battlefield.
During the project, Lynch completed several professional development courses in AI and familiarized himself with both military and nonmilitary uses of the technology.
- The final application was produced using Google AI Studio App, which can create applications that interface with the Gemini application programming interface and has AI integrated in the development environment.
Stats & Key Facts
- #Haley Wahl | MIT Lincoln Laboratory Publication Date : July 7, 2026 Press Inquiries Press Contact : Ariana Gaines Email: ariana.tantillo@ll.mit.edu MIT Lincoln Laboratory : Molding AI is an iterative process to find where capabilities intersect user needs.
Through the DAF-MIT AI Accelerator Phantom Program, a U.S. Air Force cadet and an MIT Lincoln Laboratory researcher showed that AI chatbots can help nontechnical service members produce viable software applications for their unique problems. A USAF cadet and a Lincoln Laboratory researcher found AI chatbots can help nontechnical service members produce viable software applications for their unique problems. Haley Wahl | MIT Lincoln Laboratory Publication Date : July 7, 2026 Press Inquiries Press Contact : Ariana Gaines Email: ariana.tantillo@ll.mit.edu MIT Lincoln Laboratory : Molding AI is an iterative process to find where capabilities intersect user needs.
Credits : Image: Allison Mosley/Lincoln Laboratory Previous image Next image In today's world, artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude can perform many functions, such as composing work emails and planning travel itineraries. These chatbots are systems built around large vision-language models (VLMs): AI trained on a massive dataset that includes books, websites, code, and images. The AI algorithms are then refined on massive amounts of human-generated feedback to follow instructions and avoid harmful or unwanted output, and use that "knowledge" to produce text or images based on input from a user.
Although chatbots have clear limitations, they can be very helpful for a wide range of tasks, including in some areas that traditionally require specialized skills, like computer programming. As part of a project for the U.S. Department of the Air Force-MIT AI Accelerator 's Phantom Program , U.S. Air Force cadet Joshua Lynch - with the help of his mentor, Laura Niss, a technical staff member in the Embedded and AI Systems Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory - wanted to determine if, as a complete novice to coding, he could develop a fully functional program. He used a process called "vibe-coding," in which a user relies entirely on prompts to guide a generative AI chatbot to write and refine code.
For more details please read the original article at MIT News AI.
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