The Air Force is encouraging its staff to explore generative AI by launching a new ChatGPT-like tool, NIPRGPT, aimed at promoting responsible innovation. This chatbot is part of the Air Force's Dark Saber software, designed to familiarize personnel with generative AI technologies.
NIPRGPT enables Air Force staff to engage in human-like conversations, providing assistance with tasks such as coding, answering questions, and generating responses to correspondence. Venice Goodwine, the Air Force’s chief information officer, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “Our recent generative AI roundtables with industry and academia have shown us this is an actively growing field. Now is the time to give our airmen and guardians the flexibility to develop the necessary skills in parallel. There are multiple modernization efforts going on right now across the federal government and within the Air Force to get tools in the hands of the workforce. This tool is another one of those efforts.”
NIPRGPT is offered to Air Force units at no additional cost, encouraging widespread usage. The tool is provided for real-world testing to assess resource requirements and security compliance. Feedback from users will be instrumental in shaping governing policies for the Air Force's application of generative AI.
Alexis Bonnell, chief information officer for the Air Force Research Laboratory, highlighted the strategic importance of NIPRGPT, saying, "NIPRGPT is a critical bridge to ensure we get the best tools we have into our team's hands while larger commercial tools are navigating our intense security parameters and other processes. Changing how we interact with unstructured knowledge is not instant perfection; we each must learn to use the tools, query and get the best results. NIPRGPT will allow airmen and guardians to explore and build skills and familiarity as more powerful tools become available."
This initiative follows related efforts in the Air Force to integrate AI, including the deployment of autonomous fighter jets using AI in real-world tests against human pilots, underscoring the ongoing commitment to technological advancement and operational efficiency.
