Building out AI capabilities is a national security imperative. The rate of adoption of AI across governments is increasing and the vast amounts of data collected can deliver tremendous insights to enhance security, improve citizen services, and transform decision making processes. The confluence of AI and edge computing will enable the federal government to take better advantage of existing and growing cloud capabilities and achieve better mission outcomes. The U.S. cannot afford to fall behind in developing AI technology, adversaries are investing billions to stay competitive in this area. In addition, U.S. adversaries are using AI to their advantage and even have the ability to manipulate data the U.S. relies upon for mission success, which further complicates the U.S. strategy around AI.
On October 14, 2020, the Homeland Security Dialogue Forum hosted its second annual Artificial Intelligence Symposium, Artificial Intelligence: Transforming the Government Mission. The symposium featured keynote remarks from Congressman Jim Banks on AI and the Future of Defense and Congresswoman Robin Kelly on the importance of AI in Government. High level panel discussions featuring David Aguilar, former Acting Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection; Bob Costello, Executive Director Technology and Network Support; and Sunil Madhugiri, Acting CTO at US Customs and Border Protection; Mahtab Emdadi of Dell Technologies; Chery;l Ingstad, Director of Artificial Intelligence, Department of Energy; Dr. Jeff Allsott, IARPA, Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Major Nate Bastian, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, DoD; Amanda Mercier, Lead Data Scientist, Azure Special Capabilities; and Gretchen Stewart, Intel’s Public Sector AI Specialist.
KEYNOTE: Rep. Jim Banks on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Defense
Congressman Jim Banks, co-chair of the Future of Defense Forum, delivers a bi-partisan call to arms to combat the threat of adversarial AI and discusses opportunities to modernize the Pentagon and how the government can better leverage innovation in the private sector.
KEYNOTE: Rep. Robin Kelly on the importance of Artificial Intelligence
Congresswoman Robin Kelly delivers keynote remarks on the importance of Artificial Intelligence to American economic prosperity and national security.
FIRESIDE CHAT: Chief David Aguilar with CBP and Dell Technologies on Leveraging AI & Edge Computing
David Aguilar, former Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, leads a discussion on leveraging Artificial Intelligence and edge computing to enhance border security with Bob Costello and Sunil Madhugiri of CBP and Mahtab Emdadi of Dell Technologies. Additional topics covered include the challenges and opportunities around unstructured data, growing use of biometrics, and innovations in cloud storage.
PANEL: Achieving Security Outcomes Through AI
Panel discussion with industry and government experts on challenges to secure AI systems, defining the AI threat landscape, and the need for public-private partnerships to advance AI innovation. Panel participants include: Jeff Alstott (IARPA), MAJ Nathaniel D. Bastian (DOD), Reggie Brothers (former Under Secretary for DHS S&T), Paul Milsom (Oracle), Gretchen Stewart (Intel).
PANEL: AI Applications for Good in Government
Panel discussion with industry and government experts on challenges around adopting artificial intelligence, adversarial AI, and AI use cases to support various government missions. Panel participants include: Cheryl Ingstad (Department of Energy), Jonathan Alboum (ServiceNow), Amanda Mercier (Microsoft), Luke McCormack (former CIO, Department of Homeland Security).
