intelligence around a national AI governance framework.
The National Security Commission on AI’s Interim
Report finds that “AI is not a panacea, but it will change
the way we defend America; how we deter adversaries;
how intelligence agencies make sense of the world; and
how we fight.” How much and on what DoD invests
in AI is likely a critical determinant of the future
military balance among great power competitors.
In an environment in which it is essential that every dollar
be applied judiciously and there are resource tradeoffs
associated with every decision, DoD components need
the ability to picture cross-functional activities through a
common lens and then track them across strategy, budgeting,
and execution. Effective resource management through
data science is essential to U.S. global competitiveness.
Govini’s Artificial Intelligence Taxonomy is a key
example of how data-driven insights enable efficient
implementation of the NDS priorities and informs how
investment, procurement, and acquisition activities
can shift to better support the mission outcomes.
14 • CESGovernment.com
The Artificial Intelligence Taxonomy consists of three
categories (orange boxes) that broadly categorize Department
of Defense investments in artificial intelligence. Beneath these
are eight subcategories (white boxes) constituting specific
capability areas. Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 through FY 2018
total expenditures and the corresponding five-year compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) are noted for each subcategory.
This hierarchical organizational structure shows high-level
spending trends and granular details on individual efforts.
DoD first noted the potential for AI to fundamentally
change the character, if not nature, of warfare with the
initiation of the Third Offset in 2014. The NDS reinforces
this point. It underscores the necessity for DoD to invest
in artificial intelligence to modernize its capabilities
and maintain U.S. military advantage. To date, however,
DoD’s investment trends in AI have not shown the
dramatic change that might be expected to develop and
incorporate this technology into military capability.
Over the past five years, DoD experienced linear growth
in its AI portfolio. It invested about $1.2 billion in core AI