Advancing AI in Defense Organizations

The use of AI in national defense dates back more than 6 decades, but the transformational impact of this technology on defense operations only began to be realized in the past 10 years. AI-enabled solutions present significant opportunities for defense organizations to improve mission outcomes; however, leaders must be prepared to address the challenges their organizations might encounter on their AI journeys.

To better understand how AI is leveraged by defense organizations and how this technology can shape military operations going forward, the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) surveyed 250 defense technology leaders from around the world. Additionally, the IBM Center for The Business of Government collaborated with the IBV to convene a series of roundtables of experts and stakeholders to reflect on the insights from this research, and what it means for the future of AI in defense.

We are pleased to share this second report in a series based on this research. The first report, “Deploying AI in defense organizations,” highlighted insights on the state of AI planning and adoption across defense organizations, as well as the perspectives from the roundtable of global defense experts on where AI can drive value. In this second report, we focus on 3 topics:

• Challenges and obstacles defense organizations encounter in leveraging AI capabilities
• How defense organizations can collaborate with an ecosystem of partners to develop and deliver AI capabilities
• The importance of enabling a culture of innovation and experimentation to advance AI capabilities.

This report, along with the first in this series, provides leaders across the global defense community with insights that can further assist their organizations in realizing the full promise and potential of AI.