The Department of the Air Force is preparing to launch a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI-enabled capabilities across the service, a spokesperson confirmed.
“A charter for the Department of the Air Force AI Center of Excellence has been drafted and is being socialized,” Air Force spokesperson Laura McAndrews told MeriTalk. “We aim to reach initial operating status before the end of 2025, with a goal of achieving full capability by mid-2026.”
The center’s mission is to “accelerate delivery of trustworthy AI capabilities” to embed AI more deeply into operational and strategic functions. By advancing AI innovation and adoption across the department, the initiative seeks to close the gap between emerging technology and real-world application.
“The Center of Excellence will shorten the timeline between prototype and mission adoption by bringing together the personnel, resources, and authorities to create operational efficiencies,” McAndrews said. “It will develop policy to break down barriers and speed AI adoption while ensuring AI capabilities support Department of Defense priorities.”
Oversight of the new center will be handled by the Department of the Air Force Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Office, along with members of the department’s Data & AI Board.
While the exact structure is still being finalized, the organization will include cross-functional subject matter experts tasked with developing AI-enabled solutions for rapid deployment to warfighters.
To support this effort, the Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Office is allocating existing personnel to form the center’s core team. These will be supplemented by contract personnel to ensure sufficient staffing to deliver AI capabilities at scale across the service.
The Air Force also intends to leverage external expertise as part of this effort.
“We are working to incorporate appropriate partners from industry and academia to advise and assist in building the processes that will help the Center of Excellence to flourish,” McAndrews said.