New DoD Chief Digital Artificial Intelligence Office Launches

The Defense Department must become a digital and artificial intelligence-enabled enterprise capable of operating at the speed and scale necessary to preserve its military advantage, according to a memorandum issued by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks. The memorandum, published on defense.gov, John Sherman, DOD chief information officer, will serve as the acting chief digital and artificial intelligence officer until the position is filled permanently. "[It's] an honor to be able to help get this organization stood up while performing my chief information officer duties," Sherman said today in a Pentagon media roundtable, adding that he has worked closely with several organizations to make sure the CDAO effort is launched on a solid footing. "This is a key milestone for the department to become a digital AI-enabled enterprise," a senior DOD official said in the roundtable.