The Pentagon has established a new task force to evaluate and guide the application of generative artificial intelligence (also known as “GenAI”) for national security purposes. The task force, called Task Force Lima, falls under the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO) purview.
The announcement came from a DOD press release on August 10, signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. Other defense and intelligence community organizations will also participate in the task force.
Generative AI is a type of AI that can create new text, images, or other data from scratch. It has the potential to be used for a variety of national security applications, such as generating realistic fake news articles or creating synthetic military training data.
However, generative AI also has the potential to be misused, such as for creating deepfakes or for developing autonomous weapons systems.
Pentagon Prioritizing AI Adoption to Compete with Near-Peer Adversaries
The Pentagon has struggled to integrate AI into its military branches and capabilities for years. The DOD’s slow, bureaucratic process of technology evaluation, purchasing, and contracting is largely at fault.
Many in Washington D.C. understand that AI must take priority in order to remain competitive—or technologically superior—to “near-peer adversaries” such as China.
The DOD, Congress, and Senators alike look to AI as an ability to improve intelligence gathering, autonomous weapons, surveillance platforms, and robotic vehicles. All could potentially transform the U.S. military as we know it, but only if bureaucracy and red-tape step aside.
Congress is trying to apply pressure on the DOD for technological innovation with upcoming provisions for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in fiscal year 2024.
Task Force Lima to Assess DOD Integration and Ethics of AI
Task Force Lima will identify the national security risks and opportunities associated with generative AI. It will also develop recommendations for how the Pentagon can safely and responsibly integrate generative AI into its operations.
“The establishment of Task Force Lima underlines the Department of Defense’s unwavering commitment to leading the charge in AI innovation,” Hicks said in the announcement. “As we navigate the transformative power of generative AI, our focus remains steadfast on ensuring national security, minimizing risks, and responsibly integrating these technologies.”
Establishing Task Force Lima is a sign of the Pentagon’s commitment to leading the charge in AI innovation. The task force will play a critical role in ensuring that the Pentagon is able to harness the power of generative AI for national security purposes while minimizing the risks.
In addition to the national security risks and opportunities associated with generative AI, Task Force Lima will also be responsible for considering the ethical implications of the technology. Generative AI has the potential to be used to create harmful content, such as hate speech or propaganda. Task Force Lima will need to develop guidelines for how the Pentagon can use generative AI in a way that is ethical and responsible.
Assessing the safety and ethical concerns of AI remains a top concern for the Biden Administration, DOD, and even the tech companies themselves. The White House has made several announcements and started initiatives to promote “responsible AI use”, and manage risks associated with AI.
Top tech companies such as Meta, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and others are also using this month’s DEF CON 31 hacker conference to red-team generative AI models.
8/13/2023 @ 11:30 Eastern: This article was updated with further context on Pentagon and DOD AI adoption challenges.
