The Defense Logistics Agency now has over 55 artificial intelligence models in various phases of production, testing and use and is expected to further advance AI adoption.
Established in June 2024, the AI Center of Excellence within DLA Information Operations oversees efforts to explore how AI technologies could improve processes.
Ruksana Lodi, AI officer at DLA, said her team is developing AI guidance, standardizing processes and prioritizing use cases that support the agency’s strategic goals.
Creating a Unified AI Ecosystem
According to Lodi, her team is helping DLA streamline its use of AI to establish a unified AI ecosystem to achieve efficiency while preventing duplication.
“If you go out and find a tool on your own and buy it, and then I do the same, we would end up with many tools that may have the same functionality,” she said.
She noted that her team is also working to ensure the interoperability and security of AI tools.
“The goal is to ensure that AI-driven decisions don’t compromise security, quality or operational efficiency, ultimately protecting both the agency and the warfighter,” Lodi said.
Potential AI Use Cases
In the business decision analytics field, Lodi’s team is exploring a collection of AI models that could perform tasks like evaluating supplier risks.
One of the AI tools automates the identification of companies that could potentially supply overpriced or counterfeit items by examining past performance, supplier behaviors and patterns of fraudulent activity.
Lodi noted that such assessments help DLA avoid unreliable suppliers and reduce the likelihood of defective components being used on critical defense platforms.
DLA Eyes Clean Financial Audit With AI
In November, Shawn Lennon, deputy chief financial officer at DLA, announced that the agency is exploring ways to harness AI to advance its efforts to achieve a clean financial audit.
According to Lennon, DLA aims to collect data from its business systems and use AI to help detect errors, glean insights and propose measures to improve data quality and financial reporting.
“We’re also looking at using AI to reconcile DLA’s inventory in the Warehouse Management System with our financial records,” he said.
Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 20, and hear from industry luminaries, government officials and other experts as they discuss cutting-edge innovations and trends in the field. Register now!
