Nicolas Chaillan, founder and CEO of Ask Sage, said the Department of Defense should promote innovation in the defense industrial base, or DIB, by advancing the adoption of proven commercial technologies such as generative artificial intelligence tools.
In a commentary published Tuesday in Federal News Network, Chaillan wrote that Federal Acquisition Regulations 12 directs agencies to buy commercially available products instead of building their own platforms.
“Beyond regulatory requirements, DoD and the nation benefit when the commercial partners are incentivized to advance technology innovation, and DoD stays true to its mission to invest in these efforts while continuing to strengthen public-private collaboration,” he noted.
Disincentivizing Defense Startups Impacts Innovation
In this piece, the chief executive cited concerns associated with the department’s adoption of NIPRGPT, a generative AI platform launched by the Air Force in June 2024.
“Advancing NIPRGPT offers an instructive test case on how building in-house when proven commercial options are available can disincentivize the defense industrial base from investing in the technologies, processes and manpower required to bring innovation to market,” Chaillan wrote.
“Defense startups with proven generative AI products lose first-mover advantage when they invest significant financial and human resources in technologies the DoD needs (and communicates they need), only to get burned when an agency opts to build rather than buy,” he added.
According to the former Air Force chief software officer, advancing the use of an inferior in-house platform could set back the adoption of the entire technology and drive users to use ‘shadow AI’ tools that operate outside secure networks.
“Government employees using unauthorized AI applications may unintentionally share or upload confidential information, increasing the damage that data leaks or breaches would do,” Chaillan noted.
Chaillan will be part of a panel discussion at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Hear his insights and other experts’ views on modernization in the defense field. Register now to save your spot!
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