# Theory of Mind

Canonical: https://abierto.us/opportunities/darpasn2514

- Solicitation number: DARPA-SN-25-14
- Notice type: Special notice
- Status: Closed. Deadline was December 20, 2024
- Department: Department of Defense
- Agency: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Contracting office: Def Advanced Research Projects Agcy (HR0011)
- NAICS: 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Product or service code: AC13 National Defense R&D Services; Department Of Defense - Military; Experimental Development
- First posted: December 9, 2024
- Last posted: December 9, 2024
- SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/39bdacdd858e460f972a2a976db6dc62/view

## Description

DARPA is interested in developing new capabilities to enable national security decisionmakers to optimize strategies for deterring or incentivizing actions by adversaries. As such, the agency is is searching for new technical solutions in this space. Actions are determined by situational awareness, ideas of risks and rewards, and overarching strategy. The goal of an upcoming program will be to develop an algorithmic theory of mind to model adversaries’ situational awareness and predict future behavior.

The program will seek to combine algorithms with human expertise to explore, in a modeling and simulation environment, potential courses of action in national security scenarios with far greater breadth and efficiency than is currently possible. This would provide decisionmakers with more options for incentive frameworks while preventing unwanted escalation..

The program will seek not only to understand an actor’s current strategy but also to find a decomposed version of the strategy into relevant basis vectors to track strategy changes under non-stationary assumptions. DARPA is issuing this Special Notice to express interest in this field as it explores an upcoming program to advance state-of-the-art in theory of mind and deterrence and compellence.

Researchers and organizations that are interested in developing technologies related to this or other technologies are encouraged to learn more about working with DARPA at https://www.darpaconnect.us. DARPAConnect is a free resource established to help facilitate new and nontraditional performers to work with DARPA. This notice is not a request for information or solicitation. This information is subject to change in content, relative importance, or other meaningful ways without further notification.

## Publications

- December 9, 2024: Special notice, due December 20, 2024. Notice 39bdacdd858e460f972a2a976db6dc62. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/39bdacdd858e460f972a2a976db6dc62/view

## Points of contact

- Coordinator, kallisti@darpa.mil

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Source: SAM.gov Contract Opportunities bulk extract. Confirm deadlines on SAM.gov before responding. Cite https://abierto.us/opportunities/darpasn2514.