Kathleen Hicks, President Biden's nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Defense (DOD), outlined her plans for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) during her confirmation hearing this week, C4ISRnet reported Tuesday. JAIC will fall under Hicks’ oversight if she receives Senate confirmation for the deputy secretary role.
Hicks, who currently serves as senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in a written response that she seeks to drive JAIC’s efforts to roll out AI concepts across the DOD in the coming years.
The national security veteran noted that she will work to promote collaboration between Congress and DOD’s military and civilian leadership in addition to fostering partnerships with nontraditional contractors.
She also seeks to establish visibility in AI programs and build on efforts under the Pentagon’s innovation hubs such as the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), according to the report. JAIC will serve as Hicks’ “tool for guiding the transformation of the department” in terms of AI integration for business, support and warfighting applications, she added.
Hicks holds memberships at the Aerospace Corp.’s board of trustees and the U.S. Naval institute’s board of directors.