DOD's AI hub looks to push out new solutions

The Defense Department's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is hoping to deliver on its first cyber capability in fiscal 2020.

The new DOD center plans to launch its cyber sensing national mission initiative and other projects in 2020, DOD CIO Dana Deasy said during his keynote for the General Dynamics IT Emerge 2019 event April 23.

Deasy said JAIC has two deliveries ongoing and plans for more. So far, JAIC has already released the first version of an algorithm to help with H60 Blackhawk maintenance to the Special Operations Command that will then head to the Army, Air Force and Navy. The center is also working on solutions to help firefighters predict the movements of a fire line and its intensity and aid humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, like California's wildfires.

According to fiscal 2020 performance plan, JAIC will bring cyber sensing over the halfway mark in 2020 and reach full capacity in 2021. Predictive maintenance and humanitarian relief tech are expected to be two-thirds of the way there in 2020 and fully up in 2021.

JAIC, which stood up in late 2018, is also looking to expand this year. Deasy said finding people was still the biggest challenge. Right now, JAIC has civilians, contractors and detailed personnel working its mission to streamline the DOD's AI efforts. Deasy aims to have 70 on JAIC's staff by the end of the year.