The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is going all-in on AI. The department, which oversees everything pertaining to the U.S.'s national security and armed forces, has been tossing around the idea of establishing a center focused on artificial intelligence (AI) since October 2016. On June 27, the idea became a reality when Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan issued a memo officially establishing the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). The JAIC will serve as the military's AI center, housing the DoD's 600 or so AI projects. According to a request the DoD submitted to Congress in June, the center will cost an estimated $1.7 billion over the next six years.