NGA wants to assess AI/ML supply chain risks for Project Maven
The United States National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) puts out a new solicitation indicating that it wishes to build a new ‘platform’ devoted to assessing supply chain risks posed to artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies for the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Project Maven. Project Maven is a trailblazing effort within the DoD to adopt and integrate AI/ML technologies with defense operations and systems.
The ‘critical components and personnel’ provided by suppliers and vendors in the AI/ML sector are increasingly important, as Project Maven is expected to become a formal program of record in the fiscal year 2024. Supply chain analysis is also vital in understanding the risks, opportunities, and ‘systemic dependencies’ that AI-driven programs like Maven possess. While some aspects of Project Maven were moved to the Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO) in the fiscal year 2023 budget, a broader focus on combining areas like computer vision with ‘human expert analysis’ leads to this increased focus on the ‘sometimes siloed communities of machine learning experts, data scientists, GIS experts and imagery analysts.’