AI is here and the Defense Department is taking full advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) to help write contracts and improve the federal acquisition process. The Chief Digital and AI Office at the DoD has developed a prototype AI tool, called Acqbot, as part of its Tradewind initiative.
Tradewind was created by the DoD to develop and fund AI, machine learning, digital, and data analytics solutions to tackle challenges in the field. Acqbot generates text similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and is aimed at speeding up the DoD’s contracting process.
According to Bonnie Evangelista, the Tradewind execution lead within the CDAO, the contract writing process within the DoD is bogged down by manual processes and outdated methods, such as filling out PDFs and paper forms. However, Acqbot is not responsible for making any contracting decisions, as there is a human reviewing and validating the AI-generated text at every step.
Evangelista highlighted that the CDAO is seeking feedback and user testing to train Acqbot and improve its functionality. She explained that AI technology needs time and training, just like children, to learn and grow. Acqbot is part of Tradewind’s “go big” approach to AI and is aimed at demonstrating what is possible with the technology.
The ultimate goal is to streamline the entire acquisition process, making it faster and more efficient for vendors to write proposals and for the DoD to quickly and easily purchase technology. Evangelista said that they want to “break the mold” and “break the glass ceiling” in the acquisition process, making it possible to “point, click and buy.”
In addition, the use of AI technology in the contract writing process is likely to have a significant impact on contracting officers. If the AI tool Acqbot proves to be successful in streamlining the federal acquisition process, it could potentially make the process faster and more efficient for contracting officers.
One of the main benefits for contracting officers is that they may be able to quickly and easily review and validate the AI-generated text, reducing the time and resources required to complete these tasks. This could free up more time for contracting officers to focus on other important aspects of their role, such as negotiating contracts, managing budgets, and ensuring compliance with regulations.
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Learn more about AcBOT: https://acqbot.com/
Learn more about Tradewind Initiative: https://tradewindai.com/about/