DOD’s Craig Martell Says Industry Partnerships Key to Large-Scale AI Adoption

Craig Martell, the Department of Defense’s chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, has emphasized that industry partnerships are crucial to acquiring high-quality data amid ongoing efforts to adopt automated solutions.

The DOD’s data, analytics and AI adoption strategy places high-quality data, which Martell defines as “discoverable, accessible and available,” at the foundation of the department’s “AI hierarchy of needs,” Nextgov/FCW reported Tuesday.

Speaking at an event organized by the Chief Digital and AI Office, Martell described data quality as the “most important aspect” of the department’s long-term adoption of AI.

According to Martell, the DOD should delegate building AI models to companies “because they will always be on the cutting edge,” adding that his department is instead focusing on supplementary capabilities.

Martell, a 2024 Wash100 winner, recommended that the Pentagon lean even more on the private sector to ensure that high-quality data is used properly throughout the enterprise, including for the adoption of data mesh capabilities.