Upcoming JAIC Contract to Address AI Testing Needs of Entire DOD Enterprise

The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is looking to issue a multiple-award contract within the month to give the Department of Defense enterprise access to private sector support for AI testing needs. 

JAIC’s head of AI testing and evaluation, Jane Pinelis, told attendees at a recent AFCEA DC event that the contract’s design for enterprise-wide use is central to the AI hub’s goal of enabling DOD to achieve scale.

According to Pinelis, the upcoming contract will address an entire spectrum of needs across DOD offices, including testing algorithmic bias or checking whether algorithms can be integrated across systems, FedScoop reported Tuesday.

While JAIC currently has internal tools for testing models, Pinelis admitted that there are a few areas the AI hub needs help with.

In particular, JAIC seeks to automate parts of the testing process like updating algorithms and software interoperability, Pinelis said. The organization also seeks support in terms of human integration testing, human-machine trust and simulating real-world environments.

JAIC’s push for enterprise-wide AI testing support aligns with a new mindset that focuses on connecting the disparate parts of DOD involved in AI military transformation efforts.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, JAIC Director Lt. Gen. Michael Groen said JAIC is now less focused on its own individual successes and is instead committed to helping DOD and its many branches and components get AI-ready.

The organization has taken other steps to serve as a force multiplier. It has started work on the Joint Common Foundation, an AI development platform envisioned as a DOD-wide data environment that can be used to write code for AI systems.