The Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) recently announced the launch of a new digital learning platform that will educate its workforce on AI capabilities and other emerging technologies.
Launched in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Horizon, the “Digital-on-Demand” platform aims to accelerate AI knowledge by providing the DoD enterprise access to MIT Horizon’s continuous learning library.
The department noted that the CDAO is opening the MIT Horizon learning platform to all members of the DoD military and civilian workforce and providing users with flexible, mobile-friendly options to view the content.
“The CDAO is rolling out Digital On-Demand to foster a baseline understanding of AI systems and other emerging technologies,” DoD’s Chief Digital and AI Officer Craig Martell said in a statement. “This resource demonstrates to the DoD workforce how they fit into the future of these advancements and further enables their adoption throughout the Department.”
According to the announcement, the CDAO is providing this capability through Digital University – a joint venture of the Air Force and Space Force, granting straightforward access to best-in-class training content.
Digital-On-Demand can be used to gain foundational knowledge of certain technologies and as an easy reference tool to provide definitions or explanations of terms and concepts, the department explained.
The MIT Horizon online platform consists of bite-sized learning assets on AI capabilities as well as on other emerging technologies, including the internet of things, 5G, edge computing, generative AI, cybersecurity, and big data analytics, the DoD said.
One goal of providing this first step of entry level AI knowledge is to establish a common language and understanding to enable better communication across the DoD.
“The DoD is on a historical journey of building a digital workforce. When it comes to AI and emerging technologies, it is really important that their employees are all speaking the same language,” Kathleen Kennedy, senior director of MIT Horizon, said in a statement. “We are excited to collaborate with DoD on this effort to accelerate AI knowledge and emerging technologies across their entire workforce.”
The official launch follows a successful soft launch to members of the Special Operations Command and the Central Command workforce earlier this summer, the department explained.
Additionally, in August 2022, the CDAO piloted content into a 101-level training program for about 1,200 DoD participants. Results of the pilot showed that 91 percent of participants found that the content broadened their understanding of AI and 97 percent found the content relevant to their role, DoD said
To utilize the new Digital-on Demand training platform, users can visit digitalu.af.mil, click “Register,” create an account with a “.mil” email, and search “MIT Horizon.”
