The Air Force launched a generative AI tool, NIPRGPT, for Airmen, guards, civilian employees and contractors in June 2024. (Albert Santacroce/US 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 was launched as an experiment to enable Airmen, Guardians, civilian employees and contractors to responsibly explore generative AI,” Laura McAndrews said via email Nov. 7 . “Today it has thousands of registered users and the user base continues to grow.

Generative AI is a form of machine learning designed to create new data, such as text or images, rather than simply analyzing existing data sets, according to a November report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

NIPRGPT, a secure platform requiring Common Access Card, or CAC, authentication, can help with tasks such as summarizing correspondence, writing briefing documents 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 put the best tools we have in the hands of our team while larger business tools navigate our rigorous security settings and approval processes,” she said. declared.

The Space Force in September banned Guardians from using commercial generative AI tools such as ChatGPT for professional purposes, citing data security concerns, according to a Reuters report. There is no Air Force memo prohibiting the use of ChatGPT.

“Changing the way we interact with unstructured knowledge is not instant perfection,” McAndrews said. “We each need to learn how to use the tools, how to query, and how to get the best results. NIPRGPT will allow Airmen and Guardians to explore and gain skills and knowledge as more powerful tools become available.

NIPRGPT is part of the Dark Saber software platform, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, New York, the service announced in June. The AI ​​platform operates at no additional cost to units or users, a press release states, and is designed to facilitate secure, real-world testing.

The platform focuses on evaluating practical applications of generative AI in areas such as IT efficiency, resource utilization and security compliance, McAndrews said.

“We appreciate NIPRGPT users helping us explore the role of generative AI in our mission,” she said.

This feedback provides valuable insight into policy, infrastructure, feature requests, acquisition strategies and the human-machine team, she added.