CDAO Favors Decentralized AI Acquisition in the DOD, Official Says

The Department of Defense’s deputy chief digital and artificial intelligence officer said during a RAND Corp. event that the office is inclined towards a more decentralized approach to AI acquisition in the Pentagon in light of the agency’s size and diversity.

According to Margaret Palmieri, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office already has core acquisition vehicles and best practices for AI but is not yet ready to issue blanket policy guidance. She added that it may not be necessary to have department-wide guidance for AI acquisition and that CDAO prefers an arrangement that would facilitate innovation.

Palmieri also said the office is experimenting with generative AI models to see if they can work with DOD-furnished data, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

Lawmakers have been zeroing in on AI in recent months.

In late June, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced the Safe Innovation Framework for AI policy, which would help the government create a strategy to harness the technology’s potential. According to Schumer, the passage of an AI regulation would improve national security, eliminate technology bias and nuances and secure jobs.

Earlier in June, Sens. Gary Peters, Mike Braun and James Lankford introduced a bill requiring agencies to create an appeals system for AI-made decisions and exercise transparency when an agency uses AI for interactions.