Page Text: About the JAIC
THE JAIC STORY
The United States Department of Defense established the JAIC in 2018 to seize upon the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence technology for the benefit of America's national security. Over the past decade, researchers and practitioners of AI technology have made extraordinary progress. Their success has greatly expanded the performance of AI systems across a diverse set of existing applications and also enabled new, previously impossible applications.
In January 2019, Lt Gen Shanahan assumed his role as the first Director of the Joint AI Center. In February, the White House released the Executive Order on Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, and the DoD released the unclassified Summary of the DoD’s AI Strategy . The JAIC is the official focal point of the DoD AI Strategy.
The JAIC kicked off its first two National Mission Initiatives (NMIs) – Predictive Maintenance (PMx) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) – in January and February of 2019. The JAIC’s NMIs are AI capability delivery projects focused on problems that cross Military Services or Departments. The JAIC also supports Component Mission Initiatives (CMIs) that are specific to one DoD Component or agency.
The key enabler of the JAIC’s ability to scale across the Department is the Joint Common Foundation (JCF). This enterprise cloud-enabled AI policy environment will bring modern DevSecOps practices to DoD. The Joint Common Foundation will accelerate the design, development, testing, fielding, and sustainment of DoD-wide AI capabilities.
AI technology will change much about the battlefield of the future, but nothing will change America's steadfast record of honorable military service, individual accountability, and our military's commitment to lawful and ethical behavior. Our focus on AI follows from our long history of making investments to preserve our most precious asset, our people, and to limit danger to innocent civilians. All of the AI systems that we field will have compliance with the law as a key priority from the first moment of requirements setting through the last step of rigorous testing.
At the JAIC, we are focused on attracting and cultivating mission-driven, world class AI talent to rise to the challenge of harnessing AI to advance America's security and prosperity. Across the DoD, our people are driving exciting change at the intersection of AI, large scale data systems, and some of the most important missions of our time. It is our privilege and opportunity to use AI to improve support for and protection of U.S. service members. By doing so, the JAIC helps safeguard American citizens, support our allies and partners, and improve the affordability and effectiveness of military operations.
Five Pillars of the DoD AI Strategy
Deliver AI-enabled capabilities that address key missions
Scale AI’s impact across DoD through a common foundation that enables decentralized development and experimentation.
Cultivate a leading AI workforce
Engage with commercial, academic, and international allies and partners
Lead in military ethics and AI safety
What We Do at the JAIC:
Accelerating the DoD's Adoption and Integration of AI to Achieve Mission Impact at Scale