Software Engineering Institute

Generative AI (GenAI) has been around for decades, but the latest leap in progress, fueled by high-capability large language models (LLMs), image and video generators, and AI pair programmers highlights the need for further investigation by the defense and national security community. On June 9, 2023, USD(R&E) and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI) convened a workshop to elicit DoD use cases for GenAI. Workshop attendees included representatives from the Services and from federally funded research and development centers. Key opportunities included use cases in business, wargaming, coding, and simulation. Needs and challenges included understanding “hallucinations,” investing in guardrails and responsible AI amid a race to capability, and enabling GenAI at the edge.