Pentagon: new man, next push against “ bureaucratic inertia“

Pentagon: new man, next push against “ bureaucratic inertia“

Washington, 8/6/2022

The U.S. Department of Defense is increasingly facing „mostly correct“ criticism from senior leaders for its unsuccessful efforts to modernize its technology. That statement comes from Craig Martell – the Pentagon’s new AI chief. The former head of machine learning at Lyft and Dropbox, said his goal is to show that despite „bureaucratic inertia,“ the Pentagon can make a really big impact with the right cultural changes.

The Defense Department had recently appointed Martell as its new chief digital and artificial intelligence officer (CDAO) in an effort to attract talent from the private sector.

Martell is responsible for managing AI operations, data and analytics for the Department of Defense. He reports directly to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

Background: Last October, several senior Pentagon leaders resigned over slow progress in AI. The Defense Department’s chief software officer at the time, believed China had already surpassed the U.S. in AI capabilities and would become the leader in 15 to 20 years.

Last year, the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence released a report emphasizing that the U.S. was unprepared to compete in the new age of AI and risked falling behind China.