I manage a team of software engineers. I have 10 years of engineering experience working at defense contractors and a graduate degree in data science. Despite this experience I had not yet developed clear frameworks for leading AI through programs and projects with people and technology.This book is teeming with frameworks and case studies that are simple yet exhaustive, illustrating how leaders should think and communicate about AI within a national security context. The material provides practical guidance that will elevate your leadership in the implementation of AI within the DoD. I know it has for me.

If you are in DoD tech, I recommend "Winning the National Security AI Competition: A Practical Guide for Government and Industry Leaders" by Chris Whitlock and Frank Strickland. This is hot off the press - just published at the end of November, 2022. I read it at the recommendation of Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, USAF (Ret.) (Take his word for it, not mine). If you don't know, Jack stood up the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center - so he was THE most influential AI leader in the DoD before retirement.Chris and Frank are seasoned executives who have worked at the intersection of AI and the DoD for 30+ years. They founded a company that, through acquisitions, eventually became IBM. Ultimately they found themselves as Managing Directors at Deloitte - where it seems a lot of their most recent AI narratives are derived. And recently they cofounded another company, aiLeaders LLC. In short, they are the real deal (They even discuss and predict the current ChatGPT craze)(Book published in Nov, 2022, this review is late Jan 2023).While the book is written for AI leaders in government, it has insight most people in IT and the government can learn from (I'm in IT sales). I read it looking for insight into what is important to my customers - AI leaders in Government.There is knowledge in here for early career AI Practitioners/Data Scientists along with any IT leader in the government because it will give you a roadmap of where you fit into the bigger picture every step of the way. There is advice for Department/Agency Level leaders, to PEO Leaders, to Program Leaders, to AI project leaders, to cross department leaders.This is a "How To Guide" with dozens of stories to explain these best practices and how the authors came to their conclusions.The book is laid out in logical progression -CH 1 - The Three Imperatives to Develop AI LeadersCH 2 - How Leaders Should Think and Talk about AICH 3 - How Leaders Should Think about AICH 4 - Government Programming and Budgeting for AI Leader *Must Read - no book has this info*CH 5 - Data Science for AI LeadersCh 6 - Leading the ProjectCH 7 - Leading the PeopleCH 8 - Leading the TechnologyOne quote I particularly like, "Consider all the intelligence, C2, weapons, business systems, and other existing programs of record that have approved funding for gathering, storing, and processing data. Those programs are opportunities for the departments and agencies to at least experiment with AI using their existing authorities and funding.“ (CH 4 - pg. 83)Page 199 has my favorite quote, "...GPUs were designed for image-intensive processing but lend themselves to intensive AI tasks because of their parallel compute capability. NVIDIA is a well-known provider of GPU-based machines... GPUs can support high-volume, high-throughput tasks and have been crucial in large-scale training of AI models using imagery and natural language data" (CH 8)I will be recommending this book to all of my colleagues and customers - in fact, I have already brought it to meetings. 10/10 Would recommend.#ai #ml #dl #nationalsecurity #datascientists #technology #leadership #AIarmy #artificialIntelligence

I recently read “Winning the National Security AI Competition” by Chris Whitlock & Frank Strickland and was thoroughly impressed with the depth and breadth of knowledge presented in the book. They expertly cover a wide range of topics, from the technical details of AI algorithms to the mission need and considerations surrounding the use of AI. The book is well written and easy to understand, making it accessible to both experts and non-experts alike. A must read for anyone interested in the intersection of AI and leadership, specifically in defense.