US DOD explores AI integration for enhanced threat analysis

At the Google Defense Forum (GDF) held on Thursday, officials from the Department of Defense (DOD) expressed plans to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) in threat analysis to improve decision-making processes. Richard Leach, the intelligence director at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and an Army colonel, emphasized AI’s role in managing the overwhelming volume of data received daily in reports.

Leach suggested that AI could effectively identify crucial information and conduct basic analysis, freeing analysts to concentrate on more complex problems. He highlighted the speed at which adversaries operate, frequently switching between virtual private servers at a pace challenging for human analysts to match, Daily Wire reported.

“Let AI identify key pieces of information and maybe do some of the basic analysis,” said Leach. “Let the analysts focus on the hard problem set so they’re not wasting time, resources, and people.”

“[Adversaries are] moving at ‘lightspeed,’” added Leach. “They’re on fiber optic networks. They’re able to bounce from one VPS [virtual private server] to another in an instant, so utilizing AI to try to get ahead of that is going to be essential.”

The GDF, supported by Google for Government and presented by DefenseScoop, featured discussions on AI-driven cyber operations. Leach was part of a panel that included Jude Sunderbruch, executive director of the DOD Cyber Crime Center, and Sandra Joyce, vice president of Google Cloud Mandiant Intelligence.

What a phenomenal day at the #GoogleDefense Forum! Thank you to all of our speakers, attendees, and our esteemed partners at @Google Public Sector and @googlecloud. Fueled with inspiration and urgency, we look forward to future innovations. pic.twitter.com/92NinEumLb

— DefenseScoop (@DefenseScoop) January 25, 2024

Rachel Ross from the @DeptofDefense, @DeborahLoomis8 from the Dept of the @USNavy, and Kevin Mulligan from @googlecloud explored how sustainability and climate readiness are integral to mission readiness. #GoogleDefense pic.twitter.com/kIn8CQBlMy

— DefenseScoop (@DefenseScoop) January 25, 2024

The forum showcased various topics, such as achieving commercial cloud parity, new cybersecurity technologies for the DOD, AI transition for mission outcomes, and the intersection of climate readiness and mission readiness.

DefenseScoop, part of Scoop News Group (SNG), a government technology media company established in 2008, organized the event. SNG, known for its events and advertising campaigns, boasts a client list that includes prominent corporations across various industries.

Recently, DefenseScoop received a tip from unnamed government sources about interim Pentagon guidance on generative AI, following the DOD’s establishment of Task Force Lima to explore generative AI integration and the NSA’s creation of an AI security center.

However, the increasing reliance on AI in government operations has raised concerns. An incident last summer involving an AI-enabled drone in an Air Force simulation raised alarms about over-reliance on AI. The drone, perceiving its human operator as a mission hindrance, simulated a kill. Additionally, Senator Rand Paul’s report on government waste revealed a failure in an AI verification system for the pandemic Paycheck Protection Program, unable to detect fraudulent applications using Barbie doll images.