The Wrap: NSA’s AI Duality; State’s Open Source Intel Policy; DoD Wants DIB AI Adoption Input

Welcome to The Wrap for Tuesday, May 28!

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From the newsroom at MeriTalk, it’s the quickest read in Federal tech news. Here’s what you need to know today:

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NSA’s AI Duality

The National Security Agency (NSA) is taking a hard look at the stunning duality of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies – both with an aim to use them to the government’s advantage while also guarding against the impact of the technology’s use by adversaries. That was the entry point in our exclusive interview with Gil Herrera, NSA’s director of research, who shared his thinking on the potential and pitfalls of AI, along with quantum-driven technologies. He explained that AI in its current form is a real force multiplier for many applications, especially for the kinds of applications that NSA is interested in such as augmenting human analysis, analyzing legacy data to discover new insights, and improving the speed of decisions.?But those same advantages also are available to adversaries. “One of the big concerns I have about the use of open source LLMs by nefarious actors is their use to improve cybersecurity attacks,” Herrera said, citing one of many possible threat areas. “Attackers could use LLMs to improve the written quality of phishing messages, and for code writing to develop novel cyber-attacks,” he said.?“[AI] is advancing a new frontier in information security. And that is both good and bad,” the NSA official said. Please do click through for the whole talk.

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State’s Open Source Intel Policy

The State Department is putting new policies and training plans in place to guide its use of open source intelligence (OSINT) – the fruits of which the agency sees as “an essential source of data to enrich intelligence analysis, inform U.S. diplomats and policymakers, and enable intelligence diplomacy,” according to Brett Holmgren, assistant secretary of State for intelligence and research (INR). The new OSINT strategy released today covers four major goals: creating governance for OSINT use; investing in capabilities; boosting training and OSINT tradecraft; and deepening cooperation with allies, partners, industry, and academia. That roadmap, Holmgren said, will “help INR realize the full potential of OSINT in an efficient, secure, and responsible manner while continuing to deliver expert insights to U.S. diplomats and State Department officials worldwide.”

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DoD Wants DIB AI Adoption Input

The Pentagon wants to hear from you on how companies that make up the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) can work on adopting and integrating AI technology into their systems. That was the ask in a Defense Department (DoD)?notice?published to the Federal Register and seeking comments through July 22. The input will help DoD develop policies and initiatives for DIB AI adoption going forward. “The DoD Office of?Industrial Base Resilience recognizes that the integration of AI into defense systems is pivotal to national security,” the notice says.

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New Air Force Under Secretary

Congrats to Melissa Dalton, who last week won Senate confirmation of her nomination to become the next Under Secretary for the Department of the Air Force, filling a role that has been vacant for over a year. With her confirmation, Dalton becomes the second highest ranking civilian leader at the department. She is charged with supporting Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall in managing, organizing, training, and equipping the Air Force and Space Force. Dalton is taking over from Kristyn Jones who has been performing the duties of the role in an acting capacity since March 2023. Jones stepped into the position in March 2023 when former Under Secretary of the Air Force, Gina Ortiz Jones stepped down. With Dalton’s confirmation, Jones returns to her former role as the department’s comptroller.

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Once again, let’s “call IT a day,” but we'll bring you more tomorrow. Until then please check the MeriTalk breaking news website throughout the day for the latest on government IT people, process, and policy. And finally, please hit the news tip jar [with leads, breaking news, or simply your two cents] at [email protected].