Department of Defense announces AI push to produce 100 million units

Still aiming to become a global leader in AI, the United States announced that it will move forward with plans to introduce productive AI into the internal operations of the Department of Defense (DoD)— just as AI creators are introducing their contributions to major defense contractors.

Announced today, the office will be moving forward with a new AI Rapid Capabilities Cell “focused on accelerating DoD’s adoption of next-generation artificial intelligence,” including generative AI. It will be led by the Central Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) of the department. The announcement comes as a result of Task Force Lima, a defense artificial intelligence task force created in 2023 to “evaluate, adapt, and implement artificial intelligence capabilities” in the DoD.

“DIU’s role is to bring the best commercial technology to bear on the military’s critical problems with the focus, speed, and scale needed to meet strategic demand,” said DIU Director Doug Beck. “The result will help us scale up the technology quickly and reliably, and will help change the way the Department thinks about software development and future delivery times.” The department’s AI applications will include “decision support, operational planning, weapons deployment, weapons development and testing, operational and autonomous systems, intelligence operations, information operations, and cyber operations,” as well as administrative purposes.

Under the Biden Administration, the US approved the International Political Declaration on the Responsible and Autonomous Military Use of Artificial Intelligence, the best step to check the development of military AI capabilities – despite the fact that the technology is already being used in military applications. In the statement of Nov. 2023, the Department of Defense announced its intention to explore “responsible military use of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.” AI watchers have warned of the rapid use of AI in war and its global consequences.

One month earlier, the White House announced a comprehensive regulatory order outlining AI risk and security standards, cybersecurity provisions, and various guidelines involving the Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, and Energy. The administration has announced other AI initiatives in the near future, including the creation of the United States AI Safety Institute (US AISI). This was later followed by a warning to Big Tech to curb the spread of artificial, AI-generated content.

While it is uncertain whether President-elect Donald Trump will retain the Biden administration’s national and international commitments, the soon-to-be-sworn-in leader has announced that he will choose a position he calls “White House AI Czar.” As for his choice of national defense leaders, Trump is rumored to be eyeing Palantir chief technology officer Shyam Shankir for a top Pentagon post — Shankir is a proponent of the Defense Department’s rapid adoption of commercial technology, including AI.

“DoD has a responsibility to responsibly pursue the adoption of productive AI models while identifying appropriate measures to protect and mitigate national security risks that may arise from issues such as poorly managed training data,” said DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer Dr. Radha Plumb. “We must also consider the extent to which our adversaries will use these technologies and seek to disrupt our use of AI-based solutions.”