Robert Work, vice-chair of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), said the U.S. must take its competition with China seriously as the latter accelerates government support for AI programs, DOD News reported Friday.
Work, who is also a two-time Wash100 Award winner, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing that the U.S. must establish resources, a strategy and organizational structure to compete with China on AI.
The Department of Defense must also work to establish performance goals for AI readiness by the end of the current fiscal year ahead of implementation in 2025, he said.
Successful AI deployment also entails identifying talent, ensuring the ethical use of the technology and forming partnerships with international allies, noted Work.
Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said the department is working to incorporate institutional changes to expedite AI implementation.
"We have a generational opportunity here for AI to be our future. We must act now. We need to start putting these pieces into place now," he said. Work and Groen's comments come after NSCAI issued a report on the DOD’s progress in AI implementation.