There's a lot of talent in the guard and reserve forces that the Department of Defense (DOD) could be using but is not aware of such as reservists in their civilian jobs might be working on cloud computing, software engineering, cybersecurity, or any number of other in-demand skills, according to Scott Sumner, technical project manager at the Defense Innovation Unit's Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Portfolio. The DOD is hampered in its efforts to locate these individuals because it does not possess the resources necessary to do so. The department will be able to look for the appropriate matches with the assistance of Gig Eagle's AI-powered app. The platform will take into consideration the reservist's skill preferences as well as the biographical information that they enter the app, including their existing skill sets. The algorithm that controls the AI will focus on terms that are similar and imply or infer a specific talent or expertise.

Members of the Reserve and National Guard are highly skilled across a variety of private-sector industries and have the potential to make substantial contributions to Defense Department missions, a DOD official said. The problem is, the department is not always aware of that talent, said Scott Sumner, technical project manager at Defense Innovation Unit's artificial intelligence/machine learning portfolio. For example, reservists in their civilian jobs might be working on cloud computing, software engineering, cybersecurity or any number of other in-demand skills. The department has no way to find them or to know that those skills even exist, he said. That could soon change, Sumner said.