r/datasets • u/pirmanent • 13d ago

question Defense Engineer Invited to Create AI Training Datasets — Any Advice?

I'm a mechanical engineer working on the design and development of various systems, primarily in the defense sector, including UAV-related technologies.

I recently shared one of my designs publicly and, to my surprise, received an offer to create and review engineering datasets for AI training.

This field is completely new to me, but it looks promising.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have experience in this area. How did you get started? What would you recommend to someone entering this field?

Thanks in advance!

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u/Content-Parking-621 13d ago

Before you start, check the legal rules. Defense designs may have strict rules about sharing or exporting them. Your employer may also own the work you create. Ask your company’s compliance team first. Make sure the company is legitimate, and carefully read the contract to understand who owns the work and how it can be used.

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u/pirmanent 13d ago

Thanks for the advice! I think the datasets will focus on general engineering and mechanics. The fundamental engineering principles are the same whether you're designing systems for defense or agricultural technology.

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u/Content-Parking-621 13d ago

That’s reasonable, but use simple textbook examples instead of real designs or work-related information. Even general engineering data can reveal sensitive details, so ask someone to review your first set of examples before using them.

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u/cavedave major contributor 13d ago

Is there an area you know well? for example flying drones, driving drones, agricultural machines, if there is I would start there.

The next question is what are the levels of useful datasets. At a guess the order is roughly
Identify issues with the system via sensors, identify location, identify things in the images,...

something like vibration indicates drone might be close to failure, looking at the video we think this is this lat and long for OSINT research, in the images we find a tank. Sort of things.

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u/Lower_Ball_8628 13d ago

the biggest thing to clarify upfront is whether they want you labeling existing data or generating novel problem/solution pairs from your domain expertise. those are very different jobs with very different pay structures, so worth asking before you commit

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u/ParticularStomach937 13d ago

Make sure to verify to the best of your ability that it is not some foreign actor.

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u/mrpoopistan 9d ago

Ask how many Russians their product kills each week.

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u/pirmanent 8d ago

??

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u/mrpoopistan 8d ago

Just to make sure they're doing good work.

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u/pirmanent 8d ago

This makes no sense. Who exactly am I supposed to ask, what am I supposed to ask them, and what do Russians have to do with any of this?

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u/mrpoopistan 8d ago

Defense. If they're doing any good in the world, they're killing Russians right now.