- DIA has launched a 90-day sprint to build its first enterprise AI platform
- The agency is adopting the Model Context Protocol
- The 2026 Intel Summit will explore agentic AI, open-source intelligence and more
Maj. Gen. Robert Kinney, chief artificial intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency, said DIA is currently executing a 90-day sprint to build its first enterprise AI platform, Federal News Network reported Thursday.
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Kinney said DIA is also adopting the Model Context Protocol, or MCP, an open-source standard that connects AI applications with external systems.
How Is DIA Retooling Its AI Capabilities?
Kinney said DIA is updating its ChatDIA capability to support the use of MCP and AI agents going forward. He said the agency is also weighing how agents will interact with one another as it expands its use of the technology, describing this as a “tradecraft” consideration that requires further work.
According to Kinney, DIA intends to pair agents with legacy data before advancing to mission-specific use cases, building capability in stages rather than moving directly into deployment. He said the agency has relied on its NeediPeDIA web portal along with a recently formed consortium to execute other transaction agreements, noting that DIA has completed eight or nine such agreements in a matter of weeks or days rather than the months or years such processes have historically required.
This work builds on an organizational shift Kinney outlined in April, when he said DIA established the Digital Modernization Accelerator as a permanent organization to centralize the agency’s AI efforts, improve coordination and speed up the delivery of new capabilities.
What Other AI Developments Are Underway at NGA & FBI?
Michelle Aten, chief AI officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said NGA is focused on ensuring its data is prepared to support rapid acquisition and deployment of AI capabilities. She noted that the agency has stood up a task force, called AI and Data Return on Investment Tracking, or ADROIT, to evaluate the return on investment of its AI capabilities and reduce duplication of effort by comparing capabilities across the agency.
At the FBI, Chief AI Officer Katie Noyes said the bureau currently maintains 139 AI use cases, which are reviewed by an internal AI Review Board that evaluates risk on a case-by-case basis. She added that the bureau is working to move past a reputation for lagging on technology adoption by using a broad agency announcement and cooperative research and development agreements to identify and test commercial AI tools.
