PITTSBURGH — Lt. Gen. James M. Richardson, Acting Commanding General of Army Futures Command, spoke to more than 40 graduates of the Army’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scholars and AI Technicians programs on Sept. 19, noting how critical Soldier and Civilian understanding of artificial intelligence is to the U.S. Army.
“Data is the new ammunition,” Richardson said. “To achieve convergence, we will need to rapidly understand what is happening on the battlefield…We have to move data rapidly, understand data rapidly and make decisions at super-human speeds. What I described will require advanced technologies, new tools and new ways of fighting. But none of it will matter without Soldiers, Civilians and leaders who understand the power of data. The Soldiers of future war must be of a new breed, and you are a foundational part of that effort.”
The ceremony recognized the inaugural AI Scholars Programs (AISP) cohort of 25 individuals who graduated from one of two Carnegie Mellon University programs—Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy’s Master of Information Systems Management, Business Intelligence & Data Analytics program or the School of Computer Science’s Master of Computational Data Science program. The ceremony also recognized the 16 graduates in cohort 2 of the AI Technician Program (AITP).
The Army’s AISP students complete a master’s or doctoral degree program in data analytics, data engineering and autonomous systems engineering. Students in the Army’s AITP complete a 12-month certification program. Graduating Soldiers in both programs are assigned to the Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a 24–36-month utilization tour, enhancing their education with hands-on experience to build and deploy data focused on AI products that solve Army problems and deliver useful capabilities to Soldiers.
AISP graduate Capt. Blaine Kuehnert noted, “The chance to be part of the AISP has opened so many opportunities for me and my future career. This program gave me the tools and skills to work on projects that are going to shape the future of the Army.”
As part of Army Futures Command, AI2C engages with world-class universities, including the University of Wisconsin—Madison and Carnegie Mellon University, to conduct AI workforce development for the Army. At the core of this partnership are AISP, AITP and two other courses that establish AI-focused education, Data Driven Leadership and AI User. Applications are currently open for Cohort 4 of both AISP and AITP.
To learn more about these programs and apply, email usarmy.pittsburgh-pa.afc-ai2c.mbx.workforce-development@army.mil.
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