Dr. Laura Freeman of the SERC Research Council moderated a webinar for the Acquisition Innovation Research Center (AIRC) to discuss Generative Artificial Intelligence in the DoD Acquisition Lifecycle. The one-hour panel session on January 6 explored opportunities for the Department of Defense to use generative AI (GenAI) to improve acquisition outcomes, as well as the risks the technology may pose.
More than 250 registered participants watched and engaged the panelists (listed below) who answered questions on how GenAI may improve processes from new capability development and modernization of legacy capabilities to test and evaluation of such capabilities to increase safety, reliability, and trust.
- Ms. Alexis Bonnell, Chief Information Officer and Director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory
- Mr. John Robert, Deputy Director, Software Solutions Division, Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute
- Dr. Douglas Schmidt, Director, Operational Test & Evaluation, Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Dr. Heather Wojton, Director of the Operational Evaluation Division, Institute for Defense Analyses
Key takeaways from the discussion include:
- GenAI allows acquisition professionals a collective and an individual relationship with knowledge. The technology enables users to take unstructured knowledge—research, white papers, contracts, all of the information critical to DoD function—and curate the information relevant to their role, tasks, and projects.
- Currently, GenAI is about allowing users to work differently through augmented intelligence. Education is critical to getting people to use the tools properly and realize their possibilities.
- Generative AI is an accelerator. It can help accelerate creation of a software prototype or model and accelerate a small test to extend current software in new ways. This helps involve the war fighters with systems as early as possible, leading to earlier user testing, successful outcomes in the field, and effective risk management.
The full webinar recording and transcript are available online on the AIRC YouTube channel.
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