Pentagon rolls out new AI Rapid Capabilities Cell

A US Army rendering of future, AI-enabled ground operations at the tactical level. (US Army )

The artificial intelligence (AI) and digital capabilities directorate at the US Department of Defense (DoD) has stood up a new rapid capabilities cell focused on fast-tracking generative AI technologies across the department, DoD officials said on 11 December.

The new AI Rapid Capabilities Cell (AI RCC) will be housed under the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), which will serve as “the front door to engaging with companies of all sizes” to bring best of industry innovation in AI into the cell, said Chief Data and AI Officer Radha Plumb.

“We generate and rely on a tremendous amount of data that has to be integrated and used to inform our decisions and our actions,” Plumb said during an 11 December briefing at the Pentagon. That said, the new rapid capabilities cell will enable the department to “accelerate the adoption of the next generation of AI tools, like large language models (LLMs)” and others at the forefront of AI-enabled capabilities, she said.

To kickstart work within the new AI RCC, DoD officials have set aside USD100 million to fund several key objectives for the new cell, with financing running through fiscal year (FY) 2025, according to Plumb. Those initiatives will assist CDAO and DIU in identifying, testing, and evaluating emerging AI and AI-enabled technologies “through rapid experimentation and prototyping”, she explained.