NGA gets new chief AI officer

Mark Munsell has been tapped to serve as the chief AI officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the spy organization announced Tuesday.

The move comes amid a broader push by the U.S. intelligence community and Defense Department to onboard more AI technologies. Last week, President Biden issued a new national security memorandum that prods the Defense Department and IC to go faster in adopting these types of capabilities. Munsell was at National Defense University where National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan rolled out the memo, according to a post on LinkedIn.

“NGA had an important role in developing the National Security Memo on Artificial Intelligence,” he wrote. “Congratulations to the National Security Council and the team that worked so hard to layout a framework for the promotion and safe adoption of AI for the country.”

The agency has a number of major ongoing artificial intelligence-related initiatives, including a high-profile effort known as Maven.

Last month, the organization unveiled plans to launch a $700 million data-labeling effort to advance computer vision models.

Previously, it rolled out an initiative called Accreditation of GEOINT AI Models (AGAIM) — which aims to set a new government standard for assessing the robustness and reliability of computer vision models deployed for national security purposes — and an educational tool dubbed GEOINT Responsible AI Training.

In his new role as CAIO, Munsell will be tasked with overseeing, coordinating and integrating NGA’s current and future planned geospatial intelligence AI efforts, advising leadership on applying the tech to production and operations; creating an inventory of AI initiatives and programs; recommending new initiatives; and establishing the governance and responsible use of artificial intelligence capabilities, among other responsibilities, according to a press release.

He will also serve on the intelligence community’s CAIO Council, which is responsible for helping formulate the IC’s broader AI strategy; providing oversight of investments for implementing that strategy; coordinating policy and procedural guidance on managing AI-related risks; promoting the use of enterprise purchase agreements; making recommendations for using and improving “AI-enabled” architectures; and boosting the “trustworthiness, equity, integrity and resilience” of the tech, among other efforts, per the release.

In addition to taking on the new job, he will be dual-hatted as the leader of NGA’s data and digital innovation directorate, a role which he previously held.

Prior to taking on his current positions, Munsell served as the agency’s deputy director for data and digital innovation, chief technology officer, and deputy director for the IT directorate. He is also a founder of NGA’s Moonshot Labs, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The spy agency describes Moonshot Labs as an “unclassified innovation hub and collider space for NGA, its partners and customers to meet, create, collaborate, and innovate.”

DefenseScoop reached out to an NGA spokesperson for more information about who previously held the CAIO role and where they went after exiting the position.

“We’ve had different folks filling some of the roles, but he’s the first publicly designated,” they said of Munsell.

Updated on Oct. 29. 2024, at 6:00 PM: This story has been updated to include comment from an NGA spokesperson.