AI NEEDS DATA


A ‘BIG’ DEAL


Data scientists across DOD are working to employ machine learning and artificial intelligence, both of which rely on large amounts of data, commonly referred to as “big data.” By identifying and examining patterns across large data sets, the Army Acquisition Workforce might better understand its work processes and predict future outcomes. (Image by Getty Images)


acquisition isn’t all drama and excitement. It has tasks that require the human touch, but the fact is, project management can be rudimentary, repetitious and in many cases, just boring. We need to get smart and let machines do the boring work.


Stephen Wolfram, a prominent scien- tist and software executive and CEO of Wolfram Research, describes the challenge of AI. It’s not the ability to perform high- level tasks—because it can. Instead, he says, the challenging issue is humans being able to describe in detail exactly what we


144 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2020


want AI to do, because AI out-of-the-box has no value. In order to describe exactly what we want AI to do, we need to take a look at what we do in acquisition. From there, we can decide.


What is it that AI should do? We get there by asking what it is that the PM and staff do. People in DOD, warfighter and PM alike, know what needs to be done, and what they alone must do that cannot be delegated to a computer. Once we have figured out that division of labor, we can think about what goes into AI.


PMs solve problems and coordinate program activities. Tey also plan for what’s next and war-game strategies to address upcoming events, whether mile- stone reviews or testing. Lastly, PMs must spend time communicating with their people formally through reviews and counseling.


While these are broad areas, each offers opportunities to shift effort to those things that allow a PM to inf luence the activities, rather than being a “rider on the bus.” For example, planning an


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