The Air Force launched a generative AI tool, NIPRGPT, for airman, Guardians, civilian employees and contractors in June 2024. (Albert Santacroce/U.S. Air Force)
The Air Force’s generative artificial intelligence platform, NIPRGPT, launched in June and has quickly grown to include thousands of users, according to a service spokeswoman.
“From its inception, NIPRGPT launched as an experiment to enable Airmen, Guardians, civilian employees, and contractors to responsibly explore Generative AI,” Laura McAndrews said by email Nov. 7. “Today it has thousands of enrolled users, and the user base continues to evolve.”
Generative AI is a form of machine learning designed to create new data, such as text or images, rather than simply analyzing existing datasets, according to a November report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
NIPRGPT, a secure platform requiring Common Access Card, or CAC, authentication, can assist with tasks like summarizing correspondence, drafting background papers and generating software code, McAndrews said.
The latest version allows users to interact with their own uploaded data.
“NIPRGPT is an experiment to ensure we get the best tools we have into our team’s hands while larger commercial tools are navigating our rigorous security parameters and approval processes,” she said.
The Space Force in September prohibited Guardians from using commercial generative AI tools such as ChatGPT for work purposes, citing data security concerns, according to a Reuters report. There is no Air Force memo prohibiting the use of ChatGPT.
“Changing how we interact with unstructured knowledge is not instant perfection,” McAndrews said. “We each must learn to use the tools, query, and get the best results. NIPRGPT will allow Airmen and Guardians to explore and build skills and familiarity as more powerful tools become available.”
NIPRGPT is part of the Dark Saber software platform, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., the service announced in June. The AI platform operates at no additional cost to units or users, a press release said, and is designed to facilitate secure, real-world testing.
The platform focuses on evaluating practical applications of generative AI in areas such as computational efficiency, resource utilization and security compliance, McAndrews said.
“We appreciate the users of NIPRGPT helping us explore the role of Generative AI in our mission,” she said.
That feedback provides valuable insights into policy, infrastructure, feature requests, acquisition strategies and human-machine teaming, she added.
