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Advanced / Transformational Technology

Pentagon Needs New Acquisition Authorities To Stay Ahead In AI Tech Race, Commission Officials Say

By Matthew Beinart

Friday, March 12th, 2021

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Pentagon Needs New Acquisition Authorities To Stay Ahead In AI Tech Race, Commission Officials Say

Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO and co-chair of the National Security Commission on AI. (DoD photo by Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)

The leaders of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) told lawmakers Friday the Pentagon will likely require new acquisition authorities tailored for software procurement to stay ahead of China in the AI technology competition. Eric Schmidt, chairman of the commission and former CEO of Google [GOOGL], specifically said the department’s recently established ‘software pathway’ to enable more agile acquisition is “helpful, but it’s not sufficient.” “I do know many, many software companies that want to work with the…

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