Speed where it's safe, caution where it might kill: How the Pentagon should use AI
Key takeaways
- The strategy s theme is Speed Wins, and it directs the Department to measure and manage cycle time and adoption rates as decisive variables in the AI era.
- Speed is appropriate when automating non-mission-critical back-office functions.
- Accordingly, the Pentagon launched GenAI.mil, an enterprise-wide AI platform for cutting-edge AI model access.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
The strategy s theme is Speed Wins, and it directs the Department to measure and manage cycle time and adoption rates as decisive variables in the AI era. For many areas of work at the Pentagon, we applaud rapid adoption of agentic AI. However, when the consequences are lethal, speed must be balanced with rigorous testing and a better understanding of where AI could speed us to a dangerous outcome.
Speed is appropriate when automating non-mission-critical back-office functions. Freeing personnel from routine, repetitive tasks enables focus on higher-impact activities leveraging human judgment and creativity. Many of these back office tasks, like coding, logistics planning, and paperwork management, are indistinguishable from what commercial companies do. For instance, rather than combing through thousands of pages of budget materials manually, personnel can use natural language AI platforms like Obviant to search and analyze data.
Similarly, the department can use AI coding agents like those developed by OpenAI and Code Metal to automate coding tasks like software development and modernization, while tools like Watchtower can automate logistics planning and simulation.