The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) announced Tuesday that it has tapped its Director of Data and Digital Innovation, Mark Munsell, to also serve as the new Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO).
Munsell joined NGA to lead the Data and Digital Innovation Directorate in 2021.
As the CAIO, Munsell will oversee, coordinate and integrate NGA’s current and future planned geospatial intelligence AI efforts, including advising agency leadership on applying AI to NGA production and operations; creating an inventory of AI initiatives and programs; and recommending and prioritizing new AI initiatives.
According to the NGA, Munsell will also be responsible for establishing AI governance and overseeing agency initiatives, such as the Accreditation of GEOINT AI Models (AGAIM) – a pilot aimed at ensuring the reliability, safety, and trustworthiness of GEOINT AI models through a standardized framework.
Munsell will also oversee GEOINT Responsible AI Training (GREAT), a training and certification for all coders and users of GEOINT AI, which will support the ethical and responsible deployment of GEOINT AI.
“The NGA CAIO, as a member of NGA’s AI National Security Coordination Group, will focus on increasing internal and external collaboration and cooperation to share computing resources, accelerate AI adoption and lower costs,” NGA said in its Oct. 29 announcement.
The CAIO will also join the intelligence community’s CAIO Council, which advises and supports intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense in achieving AI transformational objectives.
As a member of the community’s CAIO Council, the NGA CAIO will support formulating an AI strategy for the intelligence community to implement.
Munsell has more than 25 years in the Federal government, first starting at NGA as a software engineer in 1995. From 2016 to 2020, Munsell served as the agency’s chief technology officer.
