The US Pentagon is beginning a major effort to prepare its military data for use with artificial intelligence (AI). The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center has sent a solicitation to businesses with the intent of signing an agreement which would shape the way its data is used by applying AI and machine learning to gain valuable insights about defense issues.

The initiative, known as the Data Readiness for Artificial Intelligence Development (DRAID) Services ordering agreement, marks a shift in the Center's role, making AI readiness services an integral part of the Department of Defense. Once a business partner is selected, it would be allowed to issue task orders to prepare data for AI applications including capturing, sorting and storing it with the goal of gleaning broader insights.

According to the solicitation for business partners, the DRAID agreement will "help the DoD and Government users prepare data for use in AI applications by providing an easily accessible path to access the cutting-edge commercial services needed to meet the complex technical challenges involved in preparing data for AI.”

DRAID will cover services involved in the entire AI data preparation lifecycle, including data ingestion, labeling and model training. Task orders will include project and program management; data science; data engineering; data architecture; data acquisition and curation; data quality and analysis; synthetic data generation and data anonymization; software development, modification and configuration; enterprise information management and governance; and cloud integration and alignment.

The Center will require all AI data created through the agreement to adhere to published government standards. That means the data must be interoperable with other AI and cloud development platforms across the Defense Department.

“DoD AI data services acquired or developed under this PWS [performance work statement] and data processed by those services will frequently be required to integrate and interoperate with new or existing AI cloud platforms. ... In most cases, AI data produced under this BOA will be required to be made available on cloud platforms for reuse in other AI projects,” the PWS states.

The request for proposal also specifically asks for technologies and technology partners that support the ethical use of AI. That includes solutions that would require contractors to demonstrate how their products integrate with the Defense Department's AI ethical principles.