Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked the private sector and the think tank community on Tuesday to help the U.S. catch up on AI innovation.
“DOD doesn’t have a monopoly on great ideas, and certainly not talent,” Esper said at a conference of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. “So much of it is coming from the private sector, and we’d like your help.”
Esper said the U.S. is at a disadvantage in the AI race because of a lack of qualified personnel.
“DOD does a lot of things well,” he said. “When it comes to talent, we’re still working in an industrial age system.”
The commission, which includes heads of some of the largest technology companies, released a report Monday with recommendations for advancing AI.
Navy photo by John F. Williams