The U.S. Army is turning its attention to artificial intelligence (AI) to help the contracting workforce which is facing a significant increase in workload, an Army official said this week.
The Army’s contracting workforce – which now numbers approximately 9,000 people – had to double its workload during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the dim chances of increasing that workforce, Doug Bush, the Army’s assistant secretary of Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, said during a Defense News webinar on Sept. 18 that “we’ve got to use technology to help them do their jobs.”
“AI can help a contracting officer [work] faster and more accurately,” Bush said. “So, we are putting those things in place, and already have pilot programs underway where we are trying out [AI capabilities] to help everything from market research to writing initial [proposal requests], draft contracts, and doing evaluations of contracts.”
Bush highlighted several pilot programs underway to explore the use of AI to “streamline operations and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of managing these heightened responsibilities.”
He did not provide additional details about the pilot programs.
In addition to the AI pilot programs, Bush emphasized that the Army is enhancing its contracting processes by providing improved software tools to support the workforce in their tasks. One tool he highlighted is a new contract writing system developed in collaboration with the Air Force.
“It’s already being used and it’s getting pretty rave reviews in terms of just being a modern, easier [tool] for our contracting folks to make them more efficient,” Bush said.
The new Army contract writing system aims to streamline and modernize the contracting process for personnel. By replacing outdated tools, Bush said, the systems enhance user experience and efficiency with a user-friendly interface and improved functionality.
Bush emphasized that these new tools, including AI, “will not replace human judgment, but they do enhance speed and efficiency,” and as industry invests in similar technologies, the Army “can and should follow suit.”
