Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center (JAIC) Director Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan is retiring from the Air Force in Summer 2020, JAIC spokesman Lieutenant Commander Arlo Abrahamson confirmed to MeriTalk.
JAIC’s spokesman said that the search for Shanahan’s replacement as director is ongoing, but Shanahan will continue his duties as he prepares to transition from the military service later this year.
Shanahan said last summer that Fiscal Year 2020 would be a “break out year” for JAIC and has since called for greater global collaboration on AI development.
“We have to move beyond the hype where we don’t view AI as another technology flash in the pan, but instead focus on what it takes to weave AI into the very fabric of [the Defense Department],” he said in August 2019. “And we’ll know we have succeeded when you’ve gained irreversible momentum and AI has become ubiquitous.”
Prior to JAIC, Shanahan served at the director of defense intelligence and led Project Maven at the Pentagon.
