Pentagon plans to publish broad artificial intelligence strategy 'within weeks'

A top Defense Department tech official on Tuesday said the Pentagon is weeks away from publishing its first broad strategy for artificial intelligence. The department plans to release a report detailing its long-term plans for artificial intelligence "within weeks" as leaders increasingly stress the technology's potential to strengthen national security, said Thomas Michelli, the department's acting deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity. Though he didn't disclose specifics regarding the strategy, Michelli said the Pentagon is standing up a number of artificial intelligence capabilities across the enterprise and people should expect "a big announcement" in the weeks to come. The department's updated cyber strategy, which is scheduled to publish shortly before the artificial intelligence plan, will also discuss AI and offer more details on how the military is funneling additional resources into the technology, according to Michelli. "We have to move forward or else we'll lose [our] competitive advantage," he said at a forum hosted by GovernmentCIO Media.