The Department of Defense released a summary of the DoD AI Strategy today that sets goals to support military personnel and protect the country, with the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) leading the effort.
DoD makes it clear that AI adoption is key to maintaining American military advantage, and says failure to do so will lead to “eroding cohesion among allies and partners [and] reduced access to markets that will contribute to a decline in our prosperity and standard of living.”
“The present moment is pivotal: we must act to protect our security and advance our competitiveness, seizing the initiative to lead the world in the development and adoption of transformative defense AI solutions that are safe, ethical, and secure. JAIC will spearhead this effort, engaging with the best minds in government, the private sector, academia, and international community,” the strategy states.
The strategy emphasizes that JAIC will help establish a “common foundation” for AI across the various military branches, highlighting DoD’s enterprise approach to AI. JAIC also will be responsible for identifying and selecting high-priority “National Mission Initiatives,” and working with other AI experts within DoD on cross-functional teams. In a similar manner, JAIC will also work with DoD components on “Component Mission Initiatives.”
“The JAIC will use lessons learned from these initial pilots to establish new processes and systems that will be repeatable across additional projects,” the strategy notes.
JAIC will also be responsible for working with components to develop a governance framework for AI within DoD, preventing duplication between components, and providing ongoing support to components.
Among the strategy’s goals, DoD aims to reduce risk to servicemembers, provide stronger protection for critical infrastructure, reduce manual, inefficient tasks in the department, and serve as a pioneer for enterprise adoption of AI.
To achieve these goals, the strategy sets five strategic approach areas:
- Delivering AI-enabled capabilities that address key missions;
- Scaling AI’s impact across DoD through a common foundation that enables decentralized development and experimentation;
- Cultivating a leading AI workforce;
- Engaging with commercial, academic, and international allies and partners; and
- Leading in military ethics and AI safety.
Within each of the strategic approach areas, DoD lays out planned actions, including enhancing partnership with U.S. industry, building a culture that embraces experimentation, and advocating for a global set of military AI guidelines.