Low poly brain or Artificial intelligence concept. Symbol of Wisdom point. Abstract vector image of a human Brine. Low Polygonal wireframe blue illustration on dark background. Lines and dots. (Getty images)
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Air Force announced Tuesday that Susan Davenport will be the new chief data and artificial intelligence officer taking over for Chandra Donelson, who has been the DAF’s acting CDAO since April.
Prior to Donelson, Eileen Vidrine held the position, and before that the post belonged to Gen. John Olson, DAF’s first CDAO.
“Her expertise driving innovation and managing complex programs will be instrumental in shaping the future of Data and AI for the Air Force and the Space Force,” a LinkedIn post from the Department of the Air Force Chief Information Officer, said of Davenport’s appointment.
In her new post, Davenport will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies for analytics, digital transformation, enterprise data management and responsible and ethical artificial intelligence. She will also lead the DAF’s effort in becoming “AI ready” by 2025 and “AI-competitive” by 2027, per the DAF’s CDAO webpage.
Davenport has over 30 years of experience working in the intelligence realm, including her most recent post as the Senior Advisor for Defense Innovation at the Secretary of the Air Force’s office and a few other roles within the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.
The DAF has made strides in implementing AI and was the first service to launch a generative AI tool, called the Non-classified Internet Protocol Generative Pre-training Transformer, or NIPRGPT. The tool was launched in June, and as of last month, over 80,000 airmen and guardians have used the system. The goal of NIPRGPT is to help the DAF learn how AI can advance access to information and determine if generative AI is necessary within the DAF.
